pawn off

1. Dispose of by deception, as in They tried to pawn off a rebuilt computer as new. This expression may have originated as a corruption of palm off, although it was also put as pawn upon in the 1700s, when it originated.

Example Sentences

Walz took it upon himself to run an errand other governors might pawn off on a staffer.

Read more on Salon

Instead of offset language, the NBA has a system where it seems you can pawn off your bad contract on someone dumber than you.

Read more on Washington Times

She’s a career woman who pawns the child off on this AI doll to cope with her niece’s emotional needs and also give her time to work, when in fact the lesson is you can’t pawn off human beings onto technology.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Or, perhaps the thief planned to return a very good fake to the museum anonymously and pawn off near-perfect copies for sale as the original.

Read more on New York Times

Amador said he helped organize a peace walk Sunday and is working with local youth through the church food pantry, among the city’s largest, because he doesn’t want to pawn off responsibility on others, including the police.

Read more on Los Angeles Times