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Old 04-Jul-2004, 18:19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bmo
EX: The tour organizer cries wine and sells vinegar. The so-called five-star, modern, tourist hotel advertised in the colorful brochure turned out to be a shack in a back alley in Bangkok.
I would say that is a good example of that idiom. (I don't think we have a comparable one in English unless it's bait and switch.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by bmo
Buying a pig in a poke - Check before you buy, or you don't know what you are getting.

The old-fashioned, arranged, marriages of the old Chinese custom could be full of surprises. It was buying a pig in a poke, the newlyweds could be in a real shock when they saw each other the first time at the wedding.
That is a good example of that idiom. :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by bmo
Here is a story of a successful match-making. The man was hunchbacked, and the woman was hare-lipped. The matchmaker arranged a meeting where the man came riding on a horse galloping by, while the woman carried a flower covering her lips. Both like what they saw but were surprised at the wedding when the faults were uncovered. (Buying a pig in a poke?)

BMO
I think there might be different opinions on whether that was a successful match. The matchmaker was happy, but were the bride and groom happy? (Buying a pig in a poke, yep.)

:)

(Say: "came riding by on a horse")

:)
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