foist

WOTD - 13 October 2008    

English

Etymology

Probably from obsolete Dutch vuisten (“to take into one’s hand”), from Middle Dutch vuysten, from vuyst (“fist”); akin to Old English fyst (“fist”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /fɔɪst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

foist (third-person singular simple present foists, present participle foisting, simple past and past participle foisted)

1. (transitive) To introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant.
   • 2006 — Theodore Dalrymple, The Gift of Language

     attempts to foist alleged grammatical “correctness” on native speakers of an “incorrect” dialect are nothing but the unacknowledged and oppressive exercise of social control

   • (Can we date this quote?) William Alexander Clouston, Variants and Analogues of some of the Tales in the Supplemental Nights: Volume 2:

     the Tale of Zayn al-Asnám is one of two which Galland repudiated, as having been foisted into his 8th volume without his knowledge

2. (transitive) To force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit.
3. (transitive) To pass off as genuine or worthy.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Jonathan Spivak — foist costly and valueless products on the public

Synonyms

• fob off
• pass off
• pawn off
• palm off

Translations

introduce or insert surreptitiously

Dutch: opdringen (nl) Finnish: ujuttaa (fi)

Italian: sbolognare

force another to accept

Croatian: uvaliti (hr) Dutch: opdringen (nl) Finnish: ujuttaa (fi)

French: imposer (fr) Italian: sbolognare (it) Spanish: endilgar (es)

pass off as genuine

Dutch: opdringen (nl), opzadelen (nl) met Finnish: ujuttaa (fi)

Italian: sbolognare (it)

Noun

foist (plural foists)

1. (historical slang) A thief or pickpocket.
   • 1977, Gãmini Salgãdo, The Elizabethan Underworld, Folio Society 2006, p. 54:

     The foist had lately arrived form the country and was known to be doing a thriving trade in and around Westminster Hall where many country folk and others came to see lawyers.