take for a ride
Deceive with charm
To take someone for a ride is to deceive or swindle them, stringing them along with false promises: The contractor took us for a ride—pocketed the deposit and vanished.
The phrase originated in American gangster slang, where it meant to lure someone into a car to murder them.
The sinister origin lingers beneath the modern sense of being played for a fool.
- hoodwinkTrick into false belief
- dupeDeceive or victim
- conArgument against
- bamboozleDeceive through cunning
- defraudObtain through deceit
pull the wool over · deceive · swindle · bait and switch · cheat · double-cross · mislead · exploit · hoax · lead astray · manipulate · snake oil · shaft · scam · flimflam · pull a fast one · trick · sucker punch
- travel idiomshit the road, in the same boat, miss the boat, end of the road, crossroads
- noir slanggumshoe, femme fatale, private eye, shamus, peeper
- underworld slangsnitch, rat out, hitman, capo, consigliere
- ProhibitionProhibition, speakeasies, bootlegger, bootleggers, speakeasy
take for a rideplay fair and square
Compete without deception
play it straight · level with · play by the rules · tell it like it is · lay one's cards on the table
take for a ridelook out for
do right by · protect · help out · have someone's back · take care of
take, ride, mistake, taken, taking, mistaken, rider, overtake, takes