bait and switch
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bait and switch
noun
-
An unscrupulous and sometimes illegal sales technique, in which an inexpensive product is advertised to attract prospective customers who are then told by sales personnel that the inexpensive product is unavailable or of poor quality and are instead urged to buy a more expensive product.
Seereeram and other critics say it was a sort of bait and switch. Citibank met with Trintomar three times in the spring of 1992 to pitch its original $66 million refinancing proposal, and in a letter dated Sept. 9, Trintomar asked for a formal proposal. The next day, Citibank sent a letter outlining
Similar: bait advertising, switch selling
- Any similar deceptive behavior, especially in politics and romantic relationships. Jon: Hey, Garfield, let's get a pizza! […] Jon:On the way we'll stop at the vet. Garfield: It's the old bait and switch!
verb baits and switches · baiting and switching · baited and switched
- To lure someone with an offer of some kind, but substitute something of greater advantage to the offerer. Not when you are baiting and switching down from a stately antebellum manse to a tenement crack house.
Translations
Every language
noun sales technique
| Español | enganche y engaño, engañapichanga |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | おとり商法 |
| Italiano | pubblicità esca |
| Русский | замани́ть и подменить zamanítʹ i podmenitʹ |
Talk about this word "bait and switch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bait%20and%20switch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. bait and switch. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bait%20and%20switch "bait and switch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bait%20and%20switch.Cite this
@misc{bait_and_switch_2026,
title = {bait and switch},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bait%20and%20switch},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
