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Ann225 Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Pawn something off on someone

I heard this phrase on 'Suits' and it was used in a situation where an assistant let someone else do her job because she was not good at that particular thing. Her supervisor gave her a new assignment and told her that she had to promise not to pawn it off on someone else again.

Does 'pawn something off on someone' mean to have someone else do what you're supposed to? And if so, is it only common in the US or do British speakers use it as well? Are there perhaps other alternatives? Off the top of my head, I could only think of 'hand something off'.

Thank you.

  

Top answer

Hi I believe your phrase is "palm something off on someone". I think it refers to the ability of a sharp card dealer to use the palm of the hand to misdeal a bad card to an opponent. By way of metaphor, to get rid of something unwanted by giving it to someone else Dave

— Dave_anon

  • Hi I believe your phrase is "palm something off on someone".
  • I think it refers to the ability of a sharp card dealer to use the palm of the hand to misdeal a bad card to an opponent.
  • By way of metaphor, to get rid of something unwanted by giving it to someone else Dave
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3 Answers
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Hi

I believe your phrase is "palm something off on someone". I think it refers to the ability of a sharp card dealer to use the palm of the hand to misdeal a bad card to an opponent. By way of metaphor, to get rid of something unwanted by giving it to someone else

Dave

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Personally I have never heard of the expression "**** something off on someone", but it is listed here with a somewhat relevant meaning, though I'm not sure about the "deception" element:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/****%20off

This is an American dictionary, so maybe it

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Hi

I must acknowledge what GPY says there. In US and UK dictionaries, '**** off' and 'palm off' are given with similar meanings. I wasn't aware of that when I posted before

As said (from the UK), I'm more familiar with 'palm off' and the reference to sleight-of-hand or underhand trickery

But I'm also familiar with '**** off'. Originally, I think it means only to leave somet

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