IdiomNature
Croatian
CroatianProdavati maglu
Meaning: To peddle empty promises and con people.
Literally: To sell fog
Example: “Taj političar godinama prodaje maglu.” — That politician has been selling voters a bill of goods for years.
English equivalent: To sell someone a bill of goods
Origin: Fog cannot be held or kept, so someone selling it is selling nothing. Prodavati maglu is making empty promises or bluffing. The phrase is shared across the former Yugoslav languages; no first use is documented.
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: Dar gato por liebre Literally: To give cat instead of hare- Spanish: vender la moto Literally: To sell the motorcycle
Dutch: knollen voor citroenen verkopen Literally: To sell turnips for lemons
English: sell someone a bill of goods
More Croatian idioms
- Pasti s kruške To be clueless and out of touch.
- Ići niz dlaku To go smoothly and agreeably.
- Glavom kroz zid To stubbornly attempt the impossible.
- Okrenuti ploču To abruptly change your tune.
- Mlatiti praznu slamu To engage in pointless talk or effort.
- Bacati drvlje i kamenje To hurl furious abuse at someone.
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