1590, from sand + bag. The verb sense of "pretend weakness" is 1970s, extended from poker-playing sense of "refrain from raising at the first opportunity in hopes of raising more steeply later" (1940), which perhaps is from sandbagger in the sense of "bully or ruffian who uses a sandbag as a weapon to
tv. to force someone to do something. : I don't want to have to sandbag you. Please cooperate.
tv. to deceive someone; to fool someone about one's capabilities. : Don't let them sandbag you into expecting too little.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source