to put one past

8.3

To trick someone into believing something false

phrasal verb

: engañar

Don't think you can put one past me; I'm always aware of your tricks.

Examples

He cleverly put one past the team by pretending to be one of them.
What I want to know is where the fuck did these two yos get balls big enough to think that they could put this one past me?

Clockers (1995)
She thought she could put one past her friends, but they quickly realized it was a trick.

Synonyms

to lie

vsto put one past

∞ 1.3

To say something that is not true to trick someone

refers instead to the idiomatic idea of managing to fool someone

to fool

vsto put one past

545 2.1

To trick someone into believing something that is not true

is the idiom used when the emphasis is on success at fooling

to set up

vsto put one past

343 6.2

To trick someone so they appear guilty by using false evidence

is a general idiom for succeeding in deceiving without framing specifics

to trick

vsto put one past

289 3.5

To make someone believe something false so you can get what you want

is more about naming the successful outcome than the cunning method

to deceive

vsto put one past

229 3.9

To make someone believe something that is not true to get an advantage

is the colloquial phrase stressing a successful act of causing belief

to mislead

vsto put one past

152 3.9

Make someone believe something that is not true

is the idiomatic expression used when that influence actually succeeds

to con

vsto put one past

Informal

81 7.3

To trick someone into giving their money or things

is broader, applying to any successful deception not only financial gain

to delude

vsto put one past

73 6.3

Make someone believe something that is not true

is the idiomatic way to say this when the trick succeeds

to put on

vsto put one past

Informal

65 7.2

To trick someone, often as a joke

is a broader idiom used for successful deception beyond jokes

to dupe

vsto put one past

57 6.4

To trick someone into believing something false

places more focus on the idiomatic act of succeeding at the lie

to fabricate

vsto put one past

41 7.3

To make up false information to trick people

is the idiomatic way to state that the invention actually fooled someone

to pass off

vsto put one past

37 6.9

To make something or someone look real when they are not

focuses instead on succeeding in making a person believe the false identity

to bamboozle

vsto put one past

Informal

12 8.3

To trick someone by pretending you want to help them

is the simpler idiom that highlights the end result rather than the scheme

to play a trick on

vsto put one past

11 2.8

To fool someone as a joke

is used more for general successful fooling, not only playful pranks

to take in

vsto put one past

Informal

10 4.3

Make someone believe something that is not true

highlights the idiomatic notion of succeeding in that action

to play (someone) for a fool

vsto put one past

Offensive

8 7.4

Treat someone as stupid to trick or cheat them

is about achieving a successful lie rather than presuming naivety first

to snow

vsto put one past

Slang

6 8.9

To trick someone by using false words or charm

is the idiomatic label for when such persuasion actually fools someone

to fool everyone

vsto put one past

6 3.9

To make all the people believe something that is not true

is focused on succeeding with one person rather than with everyone

to put one over on

vsto put one past

Informal

4 7.9

To trick someone into believing something false

is the idiomatic phrase used for that successful deception

to put one over

vsto put one past

Informal

4 7.8

To make someone believe something that is not true

is the same idea often used as an idiom for success

to decoy

vsto put one past

3 6.1

To trick someone into a trap or danger

is more about the successful result of making someone accept falsity

to hoax

vsto put one past

2 4.5

To trick people into believing something false

is similar but tends to be used more broadly, not only for jokes

to play false

vsto put one past

2 8.1

To trick someone who trusts you by hiding your real plans to get something for yourself

is more general, naming the successful act rather than the motive disguise

to con someone

vsto put one past

Slang

1 7.7

To trick someone to get their money

covers the same successful action but not only when gain is sought

to put one across

vsto put one past

9.0

Make someone believe something false to trick them

is the idiomatic form focusing on achieving that result

Antonyms

to reveal

∞ 2.3

Show something that was hidden or secret

to inform

682 1.0

To tell someone about a fact or situation

to enlighten

50 4.8

To give someone clear information to help them understand something

How Deceptive

to swindle

25 5.5

to deceive

229 3.9

to put one past

8.3

to trick

289 3.5

to mislead

152 3.9

Surface Forms

put one past infinitive

put one past past

put one past past participle

putting one past present participle

puts one past third person singular

Morphology

put + one + past

The meaning 'to successfully deceive someone' is not directly predictable from the literal senses of 'put' (place/move), 'one' (a thing/person) and 'past' (beyond). There is a recoverable spatial/metaphorical logic—i.e. getting something 'past' someone unnoticed—that can hint at deception, but the precise idiomatic sense requires prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The idiom put one past comes from the image of slipping something by a person who is watching you: you put a trick past their guard so they do not notice. That's why it means 'to deceive' or 'trick' someone.