foist

Foist is defined as to pass something off as valuable when it is not, or to trick someone into having or doing something they don't want.

(verb)

  1. An example of foist is to advertise a car as in perfect condition when it has bad brakes; to foist the car off on the buyer.
  2. An example of foist is to get an approval by a committee on an agreement in which changes have been secretly made without the knowledge of the committee members; to foist the approval off on the committee

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See foist in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

  1. to put in slyly or surreptitiously, as a clause into a contract
  2. to get (a thing) accepted, sold, etc. by fraud, deception, etc.; palm off: with on or upon

Origin: prob. < dial. Du vuisten, to hold in the hand; hence, in dicing, to hide or palm in the hand < vuist, a fist, akin to fist

See foist in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb foist·ed, foist·ing, foists
  1. To pass off as genuine, valuable, or worthy: “I can usually tell whether a poet . . . is foisting off on us what he'd like to think is pure invention” (J.D. Salinger).
  2. To impose (something or someone unwanted) upon another by coercion or trickery: They had extra work foisted on them because they couldn't say no to the boss.
  3. To insert fraudulently or deceitfully: foisted unfair provisions into the contract.

Origin:

Origin: Probably Dutch dialectal vuisten, to take in hand

Origin: , from Middle Dutch

Origin: , from vuist, fist; see penkwe in Indo-European roots

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