sandbagging

Noun

sandbagging (countable and uncountable, plural sandbaggings)

1. The act or process of filling and laying sandbags, such as before a storm in anticipation of flooding.
2. The striking of a person with a sandbag or other heavy object.
3. (figuratively) Hiding the full strength, skill, or difficulty of something or someone early in an engagement, in order to gain an advantage.
   • We've seen such games as Sandbagging (managers knowingly lowball sales forecasts as a negotiating ploy) spread with surprising speed, because when the game appears to “work” for one manager, others follow suit[…]2009, Mauricio Goldstein, Philip Read, Games at Work, Jossey-Bass, →ISBN, page 16
   • Sandbagging takes place when workers do not notify the manager as soon as they complete their assigned tasks. Sandbagging can take place especially when there is a perception that reporting an early task completion will result in a corresponding reduction in the time allowed for that task the next...2014, Mandyam M. Srinivasan, Lean Maintenance Repair and Overhaul, New York: McGraw-Hill Education, →ISBN, page 106
4. The act of bringing a claim for breach of a covenant or misrepresentation even though the person bringing the claim knew about the issue before closing the transaction and did it anyway.
   • “Sandbagging” in the M&A legal context refers to the right of the buyer to seek indemnification for a breach of a seller’s reps and warranties even though the buyer had knowledge of the misrepresentation on which it is basing its claim prior to the closing date. U.S. case law on sandbagging varies...2017, Stephen M. Bainbridge, Mergers and Acquisitions: A Transactional Perspective, St. Paul, MN: Foundation Press, →ISBN, page 346
   • In the United States, sandbagging is a matter of state law, and the state laws are inconsistent on the matter.2023, Robin A. Boyle-Laisure, Teaching Contract Drafting, page 55
5. (restaurant kitchen jargon) Serving premade food, such as precooked appetizers that need only reheating.