fast one
12
8.2
- noun
- /fæst wʌn/
- Informal
:
jugarreta
- When my brother tried to sell me a broken car, I realized he was pulling a fast one on me.
- pull a fast one
I mean, are the climate extremists trying to pull a fast one on the American people?
- I mean, are the climate extremists trying to pull a fast one on the American people?
- You know, audiences are so smart, and you can't pull a fast one.
- So it's not like you're pulling fast ones because there it's going to be disclosed how you're doing what you're doing.
Examples
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If they know that they were trying to pull a fast one, they will back down and give you the money.
Blog text (33) -
- He's trying to pull a fast one.
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Try to pull a fast one, and the internet will find you out.
Blog text (14) -
I think it is just something that they are trying to pull a fast one on you with.
Blog text (6) -
Well, seems old Hank had pulled a fast one.
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It's symbolic of how people can pull a fast one on others.
Blog text (17) -
Bebe, this guy is trying to play a fast one on us.
-
Romney may be trying to pull a fast one here.
Blog text (31) -
Once again, the Dems have pulled a fast one.
Blog text (7) -
I wondered if Fiona suspected her ex-husband had pulled a fast one as well.
Fiction book (2002)
Synonyms
458
3.0
A dishonest act to make someone believe something false and take advantage
53
7.7
A clever trick to deceive someone
18
9.3
A trick used to cheat people, often to get their money
11
4.9
An unfair action meant to harm or cheat someone
1
5.0
A clever way to trick someone to get what you want
A clever but dishonest plan to gain an advantage
Antonyms
How Deceptive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The combination 'fast' (quick) + 'one' (a single act) gives a partial clue — it can suggest a quick action — but the specific sense 'a clever or deceitful trick' is idiomatic and not directly derivable from the literal words. Because the deceitful/clever nuance arises from usage (especially in 'pull a fast one') rather than pure composition, a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would only sometimes infer the correct meaning.
Etymology
Fast one comes from the idea of doing a quick move: the word fast means 'quick' and one means a single action, like a sudden trick. So it now means 'a clever or deceitful trick'.