lead someone down the garden path

English

Etymology

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Pronunciation

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Verb

lead someone down the garden path

1. (idiomatic) To mislead, deceive, hoodwink, or seduce.

   They all have been leading us down the garden path about health care.

   • 1969, Erich Kästner, Lisa and Lottie:

     "You're a pair of conspiring females," he growled. ""A fine couple of contriving minxes! You've even led my Peterkin up the garden path."

Synonyms

• lead someone up the garden path

Derived terms

• garden path sentence