throw a sprat to catch a mackerel

verb

To sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better.

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Meanings

verbthrow 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)

present singular third person throws a sprat to catch a mackerel · participle present throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel · past threw a sprat to catch a mackerel · participle past thrown a sprat to catch a mackerel

  1. UKidiomaticTo 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
Cite this entry
APA

throw a sprat to catch a mackerel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throw%20a%20sprat%20to%20catch%20a%20mackerel

MLA

“throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throw%20a%20sprat%20to%20catch%20a%20mackerel. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “throw a sprat to catch a mackerel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throw%20a%20sprat%20to%20catch%20a%20mackerel.

Source: throw a sprat to catch a mackerel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.