pawn off

pawn (something) off (on one) (as something else)

To discard something unwanted by giving or selling it to one (under the pretense of it being something else). There are always guys pawning off cheap watches as Rolexes in this part of town. She tried to pawn off the crummy assignment on me as some kind of special challenge.
See also: off, pawn, something

pawn off

1. To deposit something to a pawnbroker as security for a financial loan. (In each usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "pawn" and "off.") I was forced to pawn off my car in order to pay my rent for the month. I couldn't bear the thought of pawning my jewelry off, but I was left with no other alternative.
2. To shift the burden of or responsibility for someone or something to another person or group. He always tries to pawn off the most tedious tasks on me just because I have slightly less experience in the company than him. I used to feel guilty about pawning my kids off to a daycare center during the week, but they love playing with the other kids, and it gave me the chance to get my career back on track.
3. To discard something unwanted by giving or selling it to someone else under false pretenses or by using other deceptive means. Often followed by "on." There are always guys pawning off cheap watches as Rolexes in this part of town. She tried to pawn off the crummy assignment on me as some kind of special challenge.
4. To misrepresent someone or oneself as being a different person from who they actually are. Often followed by "as." The movie revolves around her scheme of pawning off her lifelong friend as her husband during work events. The man was caught pawning himself off as his dead twin brother in order to collect social welfare payments in his name.
See also: off, pawn
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

pawn someone or something off

(on someone) (as someone or something) Go to palm someone or something off (on someone) (as someone or something).
See also: off, pawn
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

pawn off

Dispose of by deception, as in They tried to pawn off a rebuilt computer as new. This expression may have originated as a corruption of palm off, although it was also put as pawn upon in the 1700s, when it originated.
See also: off, pawn
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

pawn off

v.
To get rid of or dispose of something deceptively by misrepresenting its true value: The clerk tried to pawn off the fake gemstone as a diamond. They almost pawned the counterfeit bills off on unsuspecting tourists.
See also: off, pawn
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • pawn (something) off (on one) (as something else)
  • palm (something) off (on one) (as something else)
  • palm off
  • palm someone/something off
  • palm someone/something off on someone
  • palm something off
  • palm something off on someone
  • throw (someone or something) on the scrap heap
  • kick (someone or something) to the curb
  • pitch into
References in periodicals archive
In fact, with the Liverpool manager forced to pawn off his own prized goods in order to have the shiny new centreback and right-winger he really wants, you'd have thought he'd notice if his balance suddenly dipped by pounds 15.
Football: Tinkerman Rafa sees Reds fall; LIVERPOOL 0 CSKA SOFIA 1 Illiev 16 Liverpool win 3-2 on aggregate Anfield side lack bite against Sofia, but still sneak into Champions League groups
For a while there, Bush the Two was running into a couple of teensy-weensy stumbling blocks trying to pawn off his new improved Iraqi invasion plans to any and all appropriate buyers.
War cries and endgames. (Off the Map)
If Detroit again tries to pawn off imitations of good small cars, it will lose yet another generation of consumers.
A blank slate. (Opinion & Analysis the Business)
Yet the sensational mass-market media, which I was admittedly a part of at that time, was so obsessed with cashing in on the popular buzz that they were more than willing to pawn off these familiar faces as heroic simply because they had incredible athletic prowess, amazing wealth or had just made some "great" discovery of how to lose weight quickly and easily
Calling all heroes!: There were startling and stirring daily images of rescue workers of all types, risking life and limb
Furthermore, an equal amount of indignation should have been generated when the government tried to pawn off their ridiculous token as a "meaningful" contribution.
Time to hold (Jean) Chretien's feet to the fire (over the National Defence budget)
Were we going to pawn off elbow grease to the nanomachines...only to be rewarded by making ourselves miserable?
It's a small, small world