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Glite Dictionary
to have a bridge to sell

to have a bridge to sell

9.9
To offer something unbelievable to trick someone, often as a joke
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : vender una isla
  • If you believe that story, I have a bridge to sell.

Examples

  • You think that price is reasonable? I have a bridge to sell you!

  • I have a bridge to sell you.

    Blog text (24)

  • He claimed he could double your money overnight; I told him I have a bridge to sell.

Synonyms

to try to scam
vsto have a bridge to sell
  • Informal
5 5.8

Attempt to trick someone and take their money

is a joking phrase that implies absurdity rather than an actual attempted fraud
to put one over on
vsto have a bridge to sell
  • Informal
4 7.9

To trick someone into believing something false

is an ironic claim showing absurdity not a real deception
to sell a bill of goods
vsto have a bridge to sell
  • Informal
2 9.0

To trick someone by making something false seem valuable

is mainly a joking warning about gullibility, not a real sale
to foist off
vsto have a bridge to sell
1 9.4

Sell fake or bad things by tricking someone

is a humorous way to call an offer absurd, not a physical trick
to put one across
vsto have a bridge to sell
  • UK
9.0

Make someone believe something false to trick them

is used humorously to suggest an offer is unbelievable rather than actually tricking

Antonyms

skeptical
  • US
286 4.2

Not easily believing that something is true

How Gullible

to have a bridge to sell
  • Informal
9.9
gullible
65 4.2
trusting
12 2.1
skeptical
  • US
286 4.2

Surface Forms

have a bridge to sell infinitive
had a bridge to sell past
had a bridge to sell past participle
having a bridge to sell present participle
has a bridge to sell third person singular

Morphology

have + a + bridge + to + sell

The literal meanings of 'have' + 'a' + 'bridge' + 'to' + 'sell' yield only the idea of owning and selling a bridge; the idiomatic sense (that an offer is a scam or that someone is gullible) depends on cultural knowledge about bridge‑selling scams and ironic usage. This pragmatic/cultural inference is not predictable from the constituent words alone, so a B1 learner who knows the words would not reliably derive the intended meaning.

Etymology

Have a bridge to sell comes from old scams where a man pretended to own a famous bridge and tried to sell it to a very trusting person. Since actually selling a bridge is impossible, the phrase means 'an offer or story that is unbelievable or meant to trick people'.