/ · 1894 Brewer’s · S · Sprat
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
To bait with a sprat to catch a mackerel. To give a small thing under the hope of getting something much more valuable. The French say, “A pea for a bean.” (See Garvies.)
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.
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