What does this saying mean ?

Question

I was reading "Un aire que mata," a book by a Spanish author, and a father was talking to his son and he said, "Pienso que nos ha dado un gato por liebre." When I looked up the definition, it meant "I think he gave us a cat for a hare," but what does the saying mean exactly, and when can i use it? Does it mean something along the lines of "I think he tricked us," or "I think he's playing us for a fool?" Please help !

Answer 1

"Pienso que nos ha dado un gato por liebre"

It means that they have deceived you. You believed that you were obtaining something and you received something else of worse quality.

Oh . So it's similar to when people say that they wanted a car but somebody "sold them a lemon?" - Diarrah, Dec 22, 2011

Not necessarily, Diarrah. A lemon may be sold unintentionally. Gato por liebre means a swindle, a deliberate deception. - Gekkosan, Dec 22, 2011

Answer 2

Our phrasebook is still a good place to look sometimes. See this page ----> Search results for "liebre"

Love that avatar, Moe. :-) - Gekkosan, Dec 22, 2011

I couldn't post the avatar that showed me in tights because it's too funny. - Moe, Dec 22, 2011

Answer 3

I think you were going in the right direction. Have a look at this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_in_a_poke