bill of goods

American  

[bil uhv goodz] / ˈbɪl əv ˈgʊdz /

noun

1. a quantity or consignment of saleable items, as an order, shipment, etc.

2. Informal. a misrepresented, fraudulent, or defective article.

---

idioms

1. sell someone a bill of goods, to defraud or deceive someone.

   He sold me a bill of goods about that used car.

Etymology

Origin of bill of goods

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bill of goods

You can tell they’re not just handing a bill of goods because they’re in front of you.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2025

If you’ve spent any time on social media, you’ll stop to consider how many times you’ve been sold a bill of goods by a TikTok or an Instagram Reel.

From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

“You already feel like you were sold a bill of goods, like, ‘I did all the right things and now this.’

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2021

When the spell breaks, the trance shatters — when at last we realize we've been sold a bill of goods — there's gonna be hell to pay.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2020

But I wasn't buying the bill of goods Shohreh Saedi was selling.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi