what did you say?

Humans have some pretty strange sayings, so I thought I would see if I could research some of the origins to these sayings.

Note: Some sayings seem to have several claimed origins.

Buying a pig in a poke:

Meaning:
The saying mean that someone is purchasing or accepting something without inspecting it first, running the risk of buying something worthless or completely different from what was originally promised.

Origin:
The saying "buying a pig in a poke" originates from a medieval livestock market scam.

In the 14th and 15th centuries meat was scarce and prime suckling piglets were very valuable and highly sought after, as they were usually between 2 and 6 weeks old, and had only been fed on milk. This meant the meat was very tender and considered the highest quality meat at the time for roasting.

Dishonest traders at busy markets that were selling the piglets would take payment and instead of putting the prized suckling piglet into the poke, would secretly place a worthless animal, usually a stray cat or a puppy due to the similar size and weight, into a poke and claim it was the prime suckling pig.

A "poke" is an old English term for a small sack, bag or pouch.

Buyers were routinely swindled if they paid for the sack without opening it to check the contents first. If they bought it blindly, they were literally buying a pig in a poke.

Earliest recorded use or reference to the phrase:
The earliest recorded warning of this scam appears in writing around 1530 in John Heywood’s book of proverbs, which advised: "When ye proffer the pigge, open the pouche!" (When you offer the pig, open the pouch!).

 
Letting the cat out of the bag:

Meaning:
The meaning means to reveal a secret or a surprise, often by accident or carelessly.

Origin:
The origin of "letting the cat out of the bag" originates from medieval marketplace scams in livestock trading. Traders would sell highly valued livestock, usually young piglets, inside small sacks or bags known as a "poke." Once sold, the traders would secretly swap the piglet for a worthless feral cat before handing the bag over to an unsuspecting buyer.

If the buyer opened the bag early, or if the animal managed to break free, the trick was exposed.
The trader's attempt at deception was literally revealed by letting the cat out of the bag.

Earliest recorded use of the phrase:
Although the phrase is much older, it is the earliest known recorded use of the phrase dates back to 1760.
It appeared in an edition of the British publication The London Magazine, specifically within a book review.
The reviewer, frustrated by the text giving away a plot point or critical piece of information too early, wrote: "We could have wished that the author... had not let the cat out of the bag."