Word.ws English Dictionary

throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel

throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel is the present participle and gerund of throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.

Meaning of throw a sprat to catch a mackerel

Verb

throw a sprat to catch a mackerel (third-person singular simple present throws a sprat to catch a mackerel, present participle throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel, simple past threw a sprat to catch a mackerel, past participle thrown a sprat to catch a mackerel)

  1. (UK, idiomatic) To sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better.
    • It is pertinent to remember that in 1892, the M.S.W.J.R. had secured from the L.S.W.R. running powers between Andover and Southampton Dock, so no doubt the "Solent Scheme" should properly be regarded as a sprat set (successfully) to catch a mackerel.1948 November and December, “Notes and News: Southampton and the M.S.W.J.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 410

Questions about throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel

What is throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel the present participle and gerund of?
Throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel is the present participle and gerund of throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.

Words near throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel in the dictionary

  1. throwing a monkey wrench in the works
  2. throwing a monkey wrench into the works
  3. throwing a sickie
  4. throwing a spanner in the works
  5. throwing a spanner into the works
  6. throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel
  7. throwing a tantrum
  8. throwing a wet blanket on
  9. throwing a wobbly
  10. throwing a wrench in
  11. throwing a wrench in the gears

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel (page history and authors); throw a sprat to catch a mackerel (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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