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Glite Dictionary
to do someone a lemon

to do someone a lemon

9.9
Trick someone so they end up worse off
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : engañar a alguien
  • He really did me a lemon by selling me that broken car.

Examples

  • Don't try to do me a lemon again—I'll be checking everything this time.

  • I can't believe you did her a lemon on that deal; that's not fair.

  • Don't do him a lemon!

  • You shouldn't do someone a lemon just for fun.

  • He really did me a lemon by selling me that broken car.

  • I can't believe you did her a lemon on that deal; that's not fair.

  • You shouldn't do someone a lemon just for fun.

Synonyms

to trick
vsto do someone a lemon
326 3.5

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

is the same but often leaves the victim clearly disadvantaged
to deceive
vsto do someone a lemon
270 3.9

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

is similar but usually results in a clear disadvantage for the other person
to play tricks
vsto do someone a lemon
15 3.0

To make someone believe something that is not true as a joke

is usually more harmful, leaving someone disadvantaged rather than amused
to pull a fast one
vsto do someone a lemon
  • Informal
12 8.3

To trick someone in a clever way so they do not notice

is similar but more likely to leave the person at a disadvantage
to bamboozle
vsto do someone a lemon
  • Informal
11 8.3

To trick someone by pretending you want to help them

is like this but often produces a harmful disadvantage for the victim
to pull the wool over someone's eyes
vsto do someone a lemon
  • Informal
7 8.2

To trick someone by hiding the truth

is similar but focuses more on leaving someone disadvantaged by the deceit
to play (someone) for a fool
vsto do someone a lemon
  • Offensive
7 7.4

Treat someone as stupid to trick or cheat them

is similar but emphasizes the resulting disadvantage to the targeted person
to play a trick on
vsto do someone a lemon
6 2.8

To fool someone as a joke

in contrast usually aims to harm or put the person at a real disadvantage
to pull a fast one on
vsto do someone a lemon
  • Informal
5 8.1

To trick someone to gain an advantage

is alike but usually causes a clear disadvantage to the deceived person
to put one over
vsto do someone a lemon
  • Informal
4 7.8

To make someone believe something that is not true

is like this but typically leaves the victim at a practical disadvantage
to put one over on
vsto do someone a lemon
  • Informal
4 7.9

To trick someone into believing something false

is similar but tends to put the person at a real disadvantage
to make a monkey out of
vsto do someone a lemon
  • Offensive
3 8.4

Make someone look silly in front of other people by tricking or embarrassing them

is similar but focuses more on causing a real disadvantage than mere embarrassment
to play false
vsto do someone a lemon
1 8.1

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

is similar but usually leaves the other person at a disadvantage
to befool
vsto do someone a lemon
9.9

To trick someone so they look silly

is similar but tends to harm the person by placing them at a disadvantage

Antonyms

help
∞ 1.0

An act that makes something easier for someone

How Deceptive

to defraud
  • Formal
40 6.9
to swindle
20 5.5
to do someone a lemon
  • UK
9.9
con
  • Informal
107 7.2
to trick
326 3.5
to fool
704 2.1

Surface Forms

do someone a lemon infinitive
did someone a lemon past
done someone a lemon past participle
doing someone a lemon present participle
does someone a lemon third person singular

Morphology

do + someone + a + lemon

The constituent 'lemon' (a defective purchase) combined with the construction 'do someone a ...' gives a plausible clue that it involves giving someone something bad or cheating them, so a learner might infer the general negative sense. However the precise idiomatic meaning 'to trick or deceive someone' and the colloquial/regional usage are not fully predictable from the parts alone, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Do someone a lemon may come from sellers who gave buyers a lemon, meaning something that looks fine but is bad inside, like a rotten fruit or a faulty car. If someone 'did you a lemon' they gave you a bad deal, so today the phrase means 'to trick or cheat' someone and leave them worse off.