pawn off for people?

[alpacinou]

When you have something low quality and you persuade someone to buy it, you say I pawned it off to someone else.

Can it be used for people? If not, what is another verb that can be used?

1. She pawned herself off to a rich man. They got married last year and she's been mooching off him.

2. She pawned off her lame son to the daughter of her rich friend. She used all her charm to persuade the girl to go out with her son.

 

[5jj]

When you have something low quality and you persuade someone to buy it, you say I pawned it off to someone else.

I have never encountered this expression, so I can't comment on your sentences.

 

[alpacinou]

I have never encountered this expression, so I can't comment on your sentences.

What verb/idiom do you suggest I use in that situation?

 

[jutfrank]

It doesn't feel quite right to me to use pawn off for people.

 

[alpacinou]

It doesn't feel quite right to me to use pawn off for people.

What do you suggest I use in those sentences?

 

[Flamenco1]

What do you suggest I use in those sentences?

Try using "palmed off". Merriam Webster offers "to dispose of usually by trickery or guile". It is a term I have often heard and used. I have never heard of "pawned off" (I'm British just incase that becomes relevant).

As for mooching it sounds close to smooching which has sexual overtones. You could go as far as using "prostituting herself".

Maybe a form of sucking up to him at the lighter end, or gold digging if we mean financially. "Acting like a leech" or "playing on his generocity".

Hope there is something there to work on.

 

[alpacinou]

Try using "palmed off". Merriam Webster offers "to dispose of usually by trickery or guile". It is a term I have often heard and used. I have never heard of "pawned off" (I'm British just incase that becomes relevant).

As for mooching it sounds close to smooching which has sexual overtones. You could go as far as using "prostituting herself".

Maybe a form of sucking up to him at the lighter end, or gold digging if we mean financially. "Acting like a leech" or "playing on his generocity".

Hope there is something there to work on.

Thank you for the suggestions.

Is palm off okay in those sentences?

1. She palmed herself off on a rich man. They got married last year and she's been mooching off him.

2. She palmed off her lame son on the daughter of her rich friend. She used all her charm to persuade the girl to go out with her son.

I found this example in Collins dictionary:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/palm-off

I couldn't keep palming her off on friends.

What does it mean?


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On a different note, mooch is American English:

 

[Flamenco1]

Thank you for the suggestions.

Is palm off okay in those sentences?

1. She palmed herself off on a rich man. They got married last year and she's been mooching off him.

2. She palmed off her lame son on the daughter of her rich friend. She used all her charm to persuade the girl to go out with her son.

I found this example in Collins dictionary:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/palm-off

I couldn't keep palming her off on friends.

What does it mean?

For your last question I offer: A mother wants to go out to clubs and discos. The problem is her 6 year old daughter. She persuades various friends and family to look after the daughter overnight while she is out. However she cannot tell them she is going partying so she makes up excuses. "I have to do overtime". "I'm doing a nightclass". "I need to visit a sick friend". "It'll just be this once". But her friends and family are becoming suspicious. She says to herself, " I can't keep palming her off on friends and family". (Sorry changed it slightly but I'm sure you see the meaning).

On the text I still have no idea what mooching is. And number two seems very cumbersome to me. I'm left in doubt about who "the girl" is. Try and rewrite it to see if you can make it more readable, clear and flowing.

For me palmed works fine.

 

[Flamenco1]

On the definition of mooching, and a possible translation to "cadge", for me it doesn't work in this situation. You need a much stronger verb.

 

[alpacinou]

On the definition of mooching, and a possible translation to "cadge", for me it doesn't work in this situation. You need a much stronger verb.

Okay. And I'm still not sure whether these are okay:

1. She palmed herself off on a rich man. They got married last year and she's been mooching off him.

2. She palmed off her lame son on the daughter of her rich friend. She used all her charm to persuade the girl to go out with her son.

 

[Skrej]

You'll see 'pawn off' used in AmE. I have used and heard it used to get rid of someone you don't want to deal with, especially when you get someone else to deal with the first person.

However, I don't think it quite works in the context of the original sentences, since we (in AmE) typically use the expression to refer to a 2nd person you don't want to deal with, by handing them over to a third person. Usually there's some trickery or deceit involved in getting the 3rd person to accept the responsibility, as well as an element of undesirability with the person being gotten rid of.

Of course, 'pawn off' can also be used for inanimate objects as well.

Webster's entry for pawn off doesn't exlude it's use for dealing with people.

Also, Webster's has an article on 'pawn off' vs. 'palm off'

 

[jutfrank]

I'm wondering if you might be looking for palm something off on somebody.

Have a look at some dictionary entries, and tell us what you think.

[cross-posted]

 

[alpacinou]

I already knew and used "pawn off" and "palm off" for objects. For example, last month, I pawned off/palmed off my own computer to/onto my cousin.

I want to know what I can use for people in the context of "marriage" and dating. When a woman, for instance, persuades a very rich man to marry her, even though she may not be good enough for him.

 

[Flamenco1]

So I guess the first thing to do is decide on your audience. As you started with AmE terms I guess that is answered, so I'll leave you in the safe hands of Skrej.

But one final thought. When we say applies to people we can be talking about being responsible for people. So it is a responsibility that gets palmed off.

 

[alpacinou]

Based on what you and others have said, I've decided that "pawn off" or "palm off" wouldn't work there.

The question is, what can work here?

1. She ................ (something that would mean she persuaded him to marry her) to a rich man. They got married last year and she's been living like a leech.

 

[Flamenco1]

Based on what you and others have said, I've decided that "pawn off" or "palm off" wouldn't work there.

The question is, what can work here?

1. She ................ (something that would mean she persuaded him to marry her) to a rich man. They got married last year and she's been living like a leech.

The preposition "to" rather limits options.

She seduced a rich man. They got married last year and she's been emptying his bank account ever since.
She used all her bodily charms to entrap a rich man. They got married last year and she's been milking him dry ever since.

 

[alpacinou]

The preposition "to" rather limits options.

She seduced a rich man. They got married last year and she's been emptying his bank account ever since.
She used all her bodily charms to entrap a rich man. They got married last year and she's been milking him dry ever since.

I like them. You made my day.

 

[Tdol]

In BrE, I'd use sponge rather than mooch. To me, mooching is slouching as you walk.