APAD: fob someone off

Definition

   to dismiss someone with evasive answer

 

Examples

   1) The salesman tried to fob me off with a used car, but I wasn't fooled.

   2) Instead of addressing the issue, they tried to fob me off with vague

      promises of future considerations.

 

Etymology

   The term likely originates from the word "fob," which historically meant to

   deceive. Over time, it evolved into the expression to give someone a false

   explanation.

 

Synonyms

   brush someone off, feed someone excuses, string someone along

 

- englishdaily626.com [edited]

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That's what Starbucks did in Beijing. Facing fierce local rivalries, they stayed

stuck-up as if they were the Forbidden City. Their pricy beverages turned away

the masses. Meanwhile, to cut cost, they stopped brewing regular American drip

coffee and kept fobbing customers off with the Americano, the wishy-washy

diluted espresso first rustled up back in WWII.