there's a sucker born every minute

there's a sucker born every minute

There is always someone willing or able to be swindled or deceived. The phrase is usually attributed to American showman P.T. Barnum. Any time I see a ridiculous product for sale, I remind myself that there's a sucker born every minute. The only reason he has a following is because there's a sucker born every minute. No rational person would think he knows what he's talking about!

See also: born, every, minute, sucker

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

there's a sucker born every minute

AMERICAN, INFORMAL

People say there's a sucker born every minute to mean that someone has just done something stupid, especially that they have been tricked. This is an industry secure in the knowledge that there's a sucker born every minute.

See also: born, every, minute, sucker

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012