покупать кота в мешке

• ПОКУПАТЬ/КУПИТЬ КОТА В МЕШКЕ coll

[VP; subj: human; the verb may take the final position, otherwise fixed WO]

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⇒ to buy, get etc sth. without having seen it, without having carefully examined its quality:

- X купил кота в мешке{{}}≈ X bought a pis in a poke;

- X bought thing Y sight unseen,

○ КОТ В МЕШКЕ [NP; sing only]≈ a pig in a poke.

     ♦ "Гляну пойду для порядка на животину твою. Потом и порешим. А то вроде как кота в мешке обговариваю" (Максимов 3). Til go and take a look at your animals [sic], just to do things properly. Then we'll decide. I won't want to buy a pig in a poke"(3a)

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← Loan translation of the French acheter chat en poche.