pull the wool over her eyes

Definitions

• deceive someone
  To trick or deceive someone by concealing the truth or misleading them

• keep someone unaware
  To prevent someone from knowing the truth or reality of a situation by intentionally hiding information from them

Examples of pull the wool over her eyes

• During the job interview, the candidate seemed overly confident and spoke in lengthy sentences filled with exaggerated claims. The hiring manager began to suspect that the candidate was "pulling the wool over her eyes" and challenged her on some of her statements. However, the candidate was quick to provide evidence and supports for her claims, ultimately convincing the manager that she was the best candidate for the job.

  The phrase "pull the wool over someone's eyes" is used to describe the act of deceiving or misleading someone. In this example, the candidate was trying to hide her true abilities by making false or exaggerated claims. The hiring manager, who was suspicious, challenged the candidate's statements and prevented her from succeeding in her attempted deception.

• Sarah had been planning to surprise her husband with a romantic evening at home, but he happened to leave a note on the fridge saying that he had to work late. Sarah's initial disappointment soon turned to frustration as she began to worry that her husband might be "pulling the wool over her eyes" yet again. She had caught him in lies before and wasn't sure if she could trust him.

  In this example, Sarah is accusing her husband of trying to conceal the truth from her. She is suspicious that he may have a secret agenda, or might not be telling the truth about his work schedule. Sarah's suspicion highlights the sense of betrayal that comes with feeling like someone is hiding something from you.

• As the CEO of a successful company, Sandra was proud of her reputation as an honest and trustworthy leader. However, her employees began to suspect that she "pulled the wool over their eyes" during a recent meeting. Sandra had made several bold promises to her team, but failed to deliver on any of them. Her staff members witnessed her inconsistency and wondered whether she had ever intended to keep her promises.

  In this example, Sandra's employees no longer trust her because of her inconsistencies. They believe that Sandra has deceived them and feel let down by her broken promises. The phrase "pull the wool over someone's eyes" can be used to describe a situation where someone has lost faith in the sincerity, trustworthiness, or reliability of another person.

• The lawyer tried to "pull the wool over the judge's eyes" during the trial by presenting misleading evidence and making false claims, but the judge was not fooled. She saw through the lawyer's deception and deemed the evidence inadmissible.

  In this example, the lawyer was attempting to deceive the judge by presenting false evidence. However, the judge was able to recognize the lawyer's deceit and prevented her from succeeding in her attempt to "pull the wool over her eyes." The phrase "pull the wool over someone's eyes" can also be used in a legal context to describe attempts to mislead a judge, jury, or other legal authority. It highlights the importance of transparency, honesty, and integrity in the legal system.

• The salesman tried to pull the wool over her eyes by claiming that the product would solve all her problems, but she was smart enough to see through his lies.

  This idiom means to try to deceive someone by making false or misleading statements. In this example, the salesman is attempting to persuade the woman to buy his product by exaggerating its benefits. However, the woman is aware that he is being dishonest and isn't fooled by his attempts to deceive her.

• The politician pulled the wool over the voters' eyes by making empty promises during his campaign, but they eventually realized that he couldn't deliver on his promises and lost their support.

  This idiom can also be used to describe a situation where someone tries to disguise the truth. In this example, the politician makes promises to the voters in order to win their support, but doesn't actually have a plan to deliver on those promises. The voters eventually become disillusioned with him when they realize that he hasn't followed through on his promises, and his support starts to wane.

• The coach pulled the wool over the referee's eyes by appealing for a penalty, even though there was no clear foul, but it didn't work and the referee saw through his trick.

  This idiom can also be used in a sporting context. In this example, the coach is trying to get the referee to award his team a penalty by falsely claiming that there has been a foul. However, the referee can see through his attempt to deceive him and doesn't award the penalty.

• The journalist pulled the wool over the editor's eyes by submitting a poorly written article, but the editor caught on and refused to publish it.

  This idiom can also be used to describe a situation where someone tries to pass off poor work as being of a higher quality than it actually is. In this example, the journalist is submitting an article that is of a lower standard than expected, but the editor is astute enough to see through the pretense and refuses to publish the article.

Conclusion

The idiom "pull the wool over her eyes" is used to describe the act of deceiving or keeping someone unaware of the truth. It can be used in various contexts to indicate trickery or the withholding of information in order to mislead someone.

Origin of "pull the wool over her eyes"

The origin of the idiom "pull the wool over her eyes" can be traced back to the 17th century, where wool was often used to make clothing and blankets. In those times, it was common for conmen and tricksters to use wool to cover the eyes of their victims while they carried out their deceitful acts. This literal act of pulling wool over someone's eyes eventually evolved into a figurative expression for deceiving or concealing the truth from someone. Over time, the idiom has become a popular way to describe the act of tricking or misleading someone. An example of the idiom's usage can be found in literature from the 19th century, where authors used it to depict characters being deceived or kept unaware of the truth.