put one past
B2 informal inseparable transitive
In simple words
To fool someone so they don't notice what you're really doing.
Literal meaning: To kick a ball past a goalkeeper in football — the sports meaning is still in use.
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
informal
To trick or deceive someone so that they do not notice.
"You can't put one past her — she always knows when someone is lying."
Grammar: inseparable
2 B1 neutral
In sports, to score a goal past a goalkeeper.
"The striker put one past the keeper in the final minute to win the match."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Sports metaphor origin — originally from football/soccer, meaning to score a goal past a goalkeeper. Now used figuratively. Slightly more common in British English. Often used with negatives: 'you can't put one past her.'
Commonly used with
the goalkeeper the boss the teacher anyone her him
Forms
Base
put one past
I/you/we/they
3rd person
puts one past
he/she/it
Past simple
put one past
yesterday
Past participle
put one past
have + pp
-ing form
putting one past
continuous
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Synonyms
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