Master confusing words with ease
Palm off vs. Pawn off
Palm off
/pɑːm ɒf/Examples:
He tried to palm off the fake tickets as real ones.Don't let them palm off those outdated products on you.She managed to palm off the old phone at a high price.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Pawn off
/pɔːn ɔf/Examples:
He tried to pawn off last year's model as brand new.She managed to pawn off her old bike to her neighbor.Don't let him pawn off that broken gadget as working.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Palm off implies deception or tricking someone into accepting something worthless or undesirable, imagining holding something out in your palm and giving it to someone.
- Pawn off involves giving someone something, often for money, typically dealing with items in a pawn shop, where goods are exchanged for value.
- Remember palm as related to handing something to someone in a smooth, sneaky manner.
- Think of pawn as connected to pawnshops, where items are swapped for cash or loans, hence an exchange value.
- Both involve passing something off to someone, but palm focuses more on deceit, while pawn suggests transactional exchange.
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