foist

Probably from archaic Dutch vuisten (“to take into one’s hand”), from Middle Dutch vuysten, from vuyst (“fist”); akin to Old English fyst (“fist”).

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /fɔɪst/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪst

foist (third-person singular simple present foists, present participle foisting, simple past and past participle foisted)

1. (transitive) To introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant.
   • 1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, published 1959, →OCLC:

     But apart from this, it is difficult for a man like Watt to tell a long story like Watt's without leaving out some things, and foisting in others.

   • a. 1896, William Alexander Clouston, Variants and Analogues of some of the Tales in the Supplemental Nights: Volume 2:

     the Tale of Zayn al-Asnám is one of two which Galland repudiated, as having been foisted into his 8th volume without his knowledge

   • 2006, Theodore Dalrymple, The Gift of Language‎:

     attempts to foist alleged grammatical “correctness” on native speakers of an “incorrect” dialect are nothing but the unacknowledged and oppressive exercise of social control

2. (transitive) To force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit; to stick.
   • 1961 May, “Editorial: Mr. M. presents Dr. B. - for a limited season only”, in Trains Illustrated, page 257:

     It is only a decade or so since the air was thick with muttering that L.M.S. influence was far too strong on the newly-born Railway Executive and that too many L.M.S. practices were being foisted on the rest of the system.

3. (transitive) To pass off as genuine or worthy.
   • 1969, Jonathan Spivak, “Competitive Problems in the Drug Industry”, in The Wall Street Journal:

     foist costly and valueless products on the public

• fob off
• pass off
• pawn off
• palm off

• foist off

foist (plural foists)

1. (historical slang) A thief or pickpocket.
   • 1977, Gãmini Salgãdo, The Elizabethan Underworld, Folio Society, published 2006, page 54:

     The foist had lately arrived form the country and was known to be doing a thriving trade in and around Westminster Hall where many country folk and others came to see lawyers.

• See Thesaurus:pickpocket

From Old French fuste (“stick, boat”), from Latin fustis (“cudgel”).

foist (plural foists)

1. (obsolete) A light and fast-sailing ship.

   Synonyms: fuste, fusta

   • c. 1608–1610, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “Philaster: Or, Love Lies a Bleeding”, in Comedies and Tragedies , London: Humphrey Robinson, , and for Humphrey Moseley , published 1679, →OCLC, Act V, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     These are mad boys, I tell you; these are things That will not strike their top-sails to a foist, / And let a man of war, an argosy, Hull and cry cockles.

From Old French fust (whence also French fût), from Latin fustis.

foist (plural foists)

1. (obsolete) A cask for wine.
2. Fustiness; mustiness.

• foisty

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Which dialect(s)?”)

foist (not comparable)

1. Pronunciation spelling of first.
   • 1906, The Elevator Constructor, page 11:

     Cause if yer did the foist thing yer know along would come a blizzard an’ make yer out a liar.

   • 1911, Our Paper, page 491:

     Guess that brandy the doc give me was the foist thing set me straight.

   • 1913, Rupert Hughes, The Amiable Crimes of Dirk Memling, New York, N.Y., London: D. Appleton and Company, page 84:

     You know more about sculpture than what I do, Dirk, but you don’t know the foist thing about rugs.

   • 1933, James Reach, Tom Taggart, Oh! Clarissa!: A Comedy in Three Acts, page 54:

     Now, the foist thing we gotta do is put a guard on the door an’ see that nobody leaves the house.

   • 1936, Post Stories of 1936, pages 126 and 136:

     And the foist thing you know, he’s a musician, no less! […] They noticed I looked worried, and started givin’ me the third degree, and the foist thing you know they got it odda me.

   • 1939, The New Yorker, page 22:

     The foist thing is the govnement gung to take away a big bunch money fa texis, you shouldn’t go to jail.

   • 1996, Bill Hutton, A History of America, Coach House Books, page 18:

     The foist thing I’m gonna do when this mess is over is to find me a pretty strumpet in Paris and stay in bed for a Goddamn week!

• “foist”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

• Fotis, tifos