Rocks in a Box (see previous post) is based on a Late Middle Age swindle called Pig in a Poke. A wriggling bag (a poke, at the time) was sold with the promise it contained one of the pigs seen nearby – but once at home, the victims of course found they had actually purchased a worthless cat. Bon appétit.
Incidentally, if some dummy revealed the scam too early by, say, accidentally letting the cat out of the bag, they'd have screwed up everything for sure. Which is where that expression comes from.
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