Here is the definition of the subject line:
An offering or deal that is foolishly accepted without first being examined.
Origin
“Don’t buy a pig in a poke” might seem an odd and archaic phrase. It’s true that the context of language is very old, but actually it can be taken quite literally and remains good advice.
The advice being given is “don’t buy a pig (or anything) until you have seen it“. Oh, you know, kinda like the late night TV pitches promising “You, too, can make $10,000 a day from home at your computer! It’s SO easy! Just listen to Jenny’s story!”
A poke is a small sack or bag and is the origin of the word pocket. A poke is just the sort of bag that would be useful for carrying a piglet to market.
A pig that’s in a poke may turn out to be no pig at all. If a merchant tried to cheat you by substituting a lower value animal, the trick could be uncovered by letting the cat out of the bag. But that’s the subject for another post.
I know my cantaloupes. I know how to thump, I know how to sniff the ends for that ripe “cataloupy” smell. I know to leave them out on the counter for a few days to allow them to ripen into a sweet tasty nectar with a full pulpy texture by which God intended them to be enjoyed.
And yet, I WAS BETRAYED! The image above is a representation of what I cut into after a recent purchase. WHITE PULP! I HATE WHITE PULP! It is TASTELESS! I want to bite into a fragrant, juicy cantaloupe!
The disappointment crashed my expectations like a welfare recipient walking away from their mailbox without a government rebate check.
But I (to continue the analogy to absurdity) filed my taxes! I did the work! I’m not a slacker! I deserved a ripe, juicy cantaloupe!
Blame it on the high gas prices. They obviously trotted this melon out ahead of schedule to beat the next price hike.
And don’t even get me started in on bright, hard, red apples that yield mealy insides reminiscent of spongy, low-density foam padding causing your teeth bounce back out in revulsion, having expected a satisfying tangy crispness.
A nod to phrases.org for helping me articulate this frustration.
What about oranges that look sweet and juicy from the outside but are nothing but dry pulp when you peel them? Mushy tomatoes are also a problem. But I think canned string beans (I won’t even look at canned “wax”beans, whatever the hell they are) are maybe the worst.
By: JJ on May 21, 2008
at 1:07 am
hahahaha, story of my life – how about peaches that you buy off the side of the road because THOSE are supposed to be good and then they are hard like apples for a week and then turn to mush in literally 6 hours. what gives?
that’s what happens when you have 6 billion people on a planet that can comfortably hold 3…boy, i just can’t wait for 2050!!!
By: eshley on June 4, 2008
at 1:52 pm
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Intellection.
By: Intellection on June 19, 2008
at 2:20 am