Pull the Wool Over Someone's Eyes
"To deceive or trick someone."
The earliest known citation is American, from around 1839, but the origin behind the image is genuinely unclear. The most repeated theory says it refers to pulling a powdered wig ("wool") down over someone's eyes to blind them, but this runs into a timing problem: powdered wigs were already going out of fashion by 1839, which makes it an odd image to reach for right when the phrase first appears. Alternative theories point to woollen caps pulled down over the eyes, or simply a person's own hair. None of the competing explanations has enough documentary support to be called settled.
Myth vs. FactThe powdered-wig theory is the one most commonly repeated, but its timeline doesn't fit especially well: wigs were already unfashionable by the time the phrase first appears in print, which undercuts the story rather than confirming it.
Sources: Earliest citation c. 1839, American origin; competing theories discussed in etymological references including Wordorigins.org.
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