lead down the garden path
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Also, lead up the garden path. Deceive someone. For example, Bill had quite different ideas from Tom about their new investment strategy; he was leading him down the garden path. This expression presumably alludes to the garden path as an intentional detour. [Early 1900s] Also see lead on.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Words nearby lead down the garden path
lead by the nose, lead carbonate, lead chromate, lead colic, lead dioxide, lead down the garden path, leaded, leaden, lead encephalopathy, leader, leader block
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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