22/09/2026
In Mexico, we say:
“Te dieron gato por liebre.”
But… what does a cat have to do with a rabbit? 😂
The expression means that you were tricked into getting something different — usually something of lower quality — than what you were promised.
For example:
“I bought a brand-new phone, but it turned out to be used. ¡Me dieron gato por liebre!”
Or:
“The restaurant said it was high-quality meat… but who knows what they actually gave me. ¡Me dieron gato por liebre!” 😂
The idea is:
They promised you one thing… but you got something else.
And although we use it today to talk about being tricked, scammed, or getting a low-quality product, the expression dates back to a time when people supposedly passed off cat meat as rabbit meat.
So next time someone sells you one thing…
and gives you something else…
¡Te dieron gato por liebre! 🐱🐇
