To sell wolf tickets, or woof tickets, is to lie, bluff, brag, talk big, or challenge someone without really meaning to fight. The expression likely draws on the old tale of the boy who cried wolf, and known uses go back to the 1940s. The woof spelling reflects oral transmission, with the l sound dropping out, and the phrase often appears in collections of African American English and slang. To buy wolf tickets is to take such a threat or boast seriously. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of ““Selling Wolf Tickets” Means Lying or Trying to Pull a Fast One”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, Martha. This is John. I’m calling from the Chicagoland area.
What’s up?
Hi, John. Welcome to the show. What can we do for you?
Well, a couple weeks ago, I posted a phrase that I heard when I was a kid, you know, when we were hanging out.
We were all talking, and one kid said, you’re selling me wolf tickets.
And we were all confused. We didn’t know what that meant, and he explained it.
And I thought it was such a great saying, you know, selling me wolf tickets.
Rather than calling you a liar, it’s a nice way of saying you’re lying.
You’re just selling wolf tickets.
Yeah, you’re selling wolf tickets, or you’re selling me wolf tickets.
And so that’s wolf, W-O-L-F, wolf?
Yes, wolf is the howler.
So what does it mean?
If one kid says to another, you’re selling me wolf tickets, what do they mean?
They mean, basically, they’re calling you a liar.
Or, you know, trying to pull a fast one over him.
And I guess it comes from the boy that cried wolf.
Yeah, that’s generally what we believe.
We think that it’s just a version of the old story about somebody who lied, lied, lied, and then finally told the truth.
The earliest use that I know of is in the 1940s, and no further back than that.
There’s also just the verb to wolf or wolfing.
The variations in meaning can be, it might not just be about lying, but you could be bragging or talking big.
And there also could be the idea of challenging someone or stepping to, like you’re kind of mean-mugging them or like, you know, showing how tough you are.
But maybe you’re not really down to battle.
You’re just making yourself known, kind of claiming and owning your space, you know.
Sometimes it’s spelled woof, W-O-O-F, because it’s one of these terms that’s primarily transmitted orally.
And so the L kind of disappears.
It sounds like woof instead of wolf.
And it’s got a heavy association, a strong association with black Americans.
African Americans tend to use this.
And it pops up again and again and again in books of African American English and slang collections.
There’s also the idea of buying wolf tickets, which is somebody is threatening you when you believe them.
And that’s kind of a problem because a lot of times this is just about show.
You’re not being earnestly tough.
You’re not really wanting to fight.
You’re just kind of showing off a little bit.
Wow, that’s really interesting.
Thank you both, and have fun.
Enjoy the day.
Thanks, John.
Take care.
Be well.
Take care.
Okay, bye-bye.
Well, the great thing is we have a lot of listeners, young and old, who can tell us about their slang.
Whether you’re 14 or 84, call us and let us know about your slang, your language, the way you speak now, and the way you spoke then.
Email words@waywordradio.org.
