English

Verb

palm off ‎(third-person singular simple present palms off, present participle palming off, simple past and past participle palmed off)

1. (idiomatic) To sell or dispose of (something) with the intent to deceive; to attempt to pass off a counterfeit or inferior product as genuine.
   • 1871, Mark Twain, Journalism In Tennessee, or

     The inveterate liars of the Semi-Weekly Earthquake are evidently endeavoring to palm off upon a noble and chivalrous people another of their vile and brutal falsehoods...

   • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, Episode 18

     ...the old mangy parcel he sent at Xmas a cottage cake and a bottle of hogwash he tried to palm off as claret that he couldnt get anyone to drink...

   • 1963, United States Code Annotated

     (p.359) ...no one is to be allowed fraudulently to palm off upon the public his goods as those of another.

     (p.379) It is a fundamental rule that one man has no right to palm off his goods for sale as goods of a rival dealer...

Usage notes

Sometimes appears as pawn off, though this is frequently proscribed as an error.^[1][2] Some dictionaries have begun to recognize this form, and some have noted that the phrase pawn upon even predates palm off.^[3][4] Often, pawn off differs slightly in meaning, not carrying the same connotations of trickery as palm off.^[5]

Synonyms

• foist
• fob off
• pass off
• pawn off

Translations

References

1. ↑ Paul Brians, Common Errors in English Usage
2. ↑ "Pawn" at the Eggcorn Database
3. ↑ Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, p722
4. ↑ Christine Ammer, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, p493
5. ↑ David Olsen, The Words You Should Know, p101