snow job
1
8.2
- noun
- /snoʊ dʒɑb/
- Informal
:
engaño
- The salesman's promise of a perfect product was just a snow job to make a sale.
Examples
-
It was one giant snow job.
Blog text (21) -
If you kids are giving me a snow job... all three of you are done!
-
- Yeah, you guys did an awesome snow job on her, man.
-
I believe that the Republican issue about small businesses and the tax on the wealthy is nothing more than a snow job.
Blog text (8) -
She knew a snow job when she heard one.
Fiction book (1999) -
And, and, and you look back at Doug Emhoff and the complete snow job we've been getting about his character.
-
He tried to give me a snow job about why he was late, but I could see through his excuses.
-
After listening to the politician's speech, I realized it was all just a snow job to gain votes.
Synonyms
163
3.9
An action that makes someone believe something not true
3
9.9
Hiding your true feelings or intentions by pretending
1
8.5
A secret plan to trick people by making something seem accidental
1
9.6
Talk that tries to trick people with false statements
1
9.9
A trick done to cheat or fool people
1
9.7
Dishonest words or actions that try to trick people
Dishonest actions that try to trick people
Antonyms
How Deceptive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'snow' (frozen precipitation) and 'job' (a task or piece of work) do not predict the sense 'attempt to deceive,' so a B1 learner who knows those constituents would not reliably infer this idiomatic meaning. Although there is a colloquial verb sense 'to snow' meaning to overwhelm or deceive, that usage is idiomatic and language-specific, making the compound unpredictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Snow job may come from the image of heavy snow covering and hiding things so you cannot see what is under it. That's why someone who covers the truth with lots of smooth or false talk is said to be doing a snow job, meaning 'to deceive'.