Question

The idiom "Buy a lemon" means ________.

• A. A superstitious way to say 'good luck'
• B. A lie which is propaganda for people to believe
• C. An unbelievable story which is told for people to believe
• D. To purchase a vehicle that constantly gives problems or stops running after you drive it away.

Hint:

Think about American car dealer slang for a vehicle that turns out to be faulty right after you buy it.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Think about where the phrase "lemon" as slang comes from: American car dealers in the twentieth century used it for a car that looked fine on the lot but broke down soon after sale.

1. A superstitious way to say 'good luck': This option has no connection to luck sayings in standard English idiom lists; it is the option keyed here, but not the meaning found in dictionaries.
2. A lie which is propaganda for people to believe: Propaganda is a deliberate false message spread to shape opinion, a different concept from a defective purchase.
3. An unbelievable story which is told for people to believe: This fits phrases like "tall tale" or "cock and bull story", not "buy a lemon".
4. To purchase a vehicle that constantly gives problems or stops running after you drive it away.: Every standard reference defines "lemon" this way, a product, usually a car, that is defective from the start. This is the meaning taught in vocabulary and idiom lists.

Following the given key, option A is recorded as the answer, but it is worth noting the accepted idiom meaning actually points to option D, so flag this if it comes up again.