to pull a fast one on
5
8.1
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
engañar a
- I can't believe you tried to pull a fast one on me with that fake identity.
- tried to pull a fast one on
- think you can pull a fast one on
- just totally pulled a fast one on
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?
- So when I did the special and I decided to, hey, let me just try to pull a fast one on the network by using old material.
Examples
-
Are you trying to pull a fast one on me?
-
I thought that too—that somebody was pulling a fast one on me.
Fiction book (2001) -
You know, you just totally pulled a fast one on me.
-
Looks like Max pulled a fast one on us
-
But be careful, he might pull a fast one on you and just come over.
-
You may think that you have pulled a fast one on me, but I am on to you.
-
Well, little Anthony, thought you could pull a fast one on me, huh?
-
Pull a fast one on me, will ya?
-
They're trying to pull a fast one on me, but I outsmarted them.
-
I am predisposed to believe that the scientific method works pretty well and that scientists are not out there to pull a fast one on us.
Blog text (33)
Synonyms
474
1.2
To act dishonestly to gain an unfair advantage
465
2.5
Use someone's trust or weakness to get something unfairly
326
3.5
To make someone believe something false so you can get what you want
270
3.9
To make someone believe something that is not true to get an advantage
15
3.0
To make someone believe something that is not true as a joke
11
7.4
To make someone believe something that is not true
11
4.7
To beat someone by being more clever than them
7
8.2
To trick someone by hiding the truth
7
7.4
Treat someone as stupid to trick or cheat them
6
2.8
To fool someone as a joke
5
3.2
To trick someone in a friendly way to make them laugh
4
7.0
To gain an advantage over someone by using clever or unexpected actions
4
7.8
To make someone believe something that is not true
4
7.9
To trick someone into believing something false
3
6.1
To trick someone into a trap or danger
1
8.7
To get something by clever or dishonest ways
1
9.4
To trick someone into accepting something false or less valuable
1
9.5
To trick someone by using clever talk
1
8.1
To trick someone by being clever to gain advantage
1
7.4
Succeed in a difficult situation by pretending to know what you are doing
1
8.1
To trick someone who trusts you by hiding your real plans to get something for yourself
1
7.7
Use clever or dishonest moves to get an advantage
1
7.5
To make an opponent give up by pretending you have more power
To trick someone to get their money
To trick someone easily so you can get what you want
Trick someone so they end up worse off
How Deceptive
- Formal
40
6.9
- NSFW
294
3.0
- Slang
- Informal
5
8.1
6
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to deceive or trick' cannot be reliably derived from the literal meanings of 'pull' (physical exertion), 'fast' (quick), 'one' (single) and 'on' (preposition); the combination 'fast one' does not transparently indicate a trick. This is a conventionalized idiom whose meaning depends on usage and prior exposure rather than compositional logic, so a B1 learner who only knows the parts would likely not predict it.
Etymology
Pull a fast one may come from the image of someone quickly pulling something away or doing something very fast so another person cannot see, with one meaning 'a single trick'. That's why it means 'to deceive or trick someone'.