Idiom: Taking someone for a ride
Meaning: Making a person believe something that is not true
Context #1 – A salesperson is trying to get Kiki to buy a new diet formula
Salesperson: Welcome to Diet World, where you can find the right formula to lose weight in 2016! How can I help you?
Kiki: Yes, I saw an ad on TV for this new diet pill called “Diet Pill Slim.” The woman in the commercial lost 50 pounds in one week and she looks great. Is that ad for real?
Salesperson:Yes, it may seem too good to be true, but this new little pill really works! I lost 20 pounds in just 48 hours.
Kiki: Really? Is that even possible? Wouldn’t that be unhealthy?
Salesperson: Not at all. As you can see, I look great and I feel even better! I think you could lose 10 pounds in just one day if you take this pill.
Kiki: Seriously? Do you know what I think? I think that you are just taking me for a ride. It’s impossible for any pill to do that!
Context #2 – Jackie is inviting her friend to come and visit her hometown
Jackie: Oh, Tommy! It’s been really great getting to know you this semester. You know, I’m going back to my hometown for the break. Would you like to come and visit me? It would be really fun and there is just so much to do! It’s much more exciting than LA!
Tommy: Well, aren’t you from a really small town? What would we do for two weeks?
Jackie: Oh my goodness! There is so much to do there! It’s just like party, party, party every night!
Tommy: Really? But I heard that there is a population of 15 people. How could it just be party, party, party every night? While your hometown sounds like a nice place to relax, I really doubt that it is more exciting than LA. I think you are taking me for a ride!
Jackie: Well, you don’t have to be so snobbish about it.
Meaning: In the cartoon, the man is literally asking if the woman can give him a ride, but instead she starts to “take him for a ride” by giving him compliments that are not true. In context 1, the salesperson is making really outrageous claims about what the diet pill can do and Kiki doesn’t believe her. She thinks the salesperson is “taking her for a ride” or making her believe something that is not true. In context 2, Jackie is trying to get Tommy to come to her hometown for two weeks by telling him that her small hometown is much more exciting than LA. Tommy doesn’t believe it.
