"throw a sprat to catch a mackerel" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "throws a sprat to catch a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "threw a sprat to catch a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thrown a sprat to catch a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "throw<,,threw,thrown> a sprat to catch a mackerel"
      },
      "expansion": "throw a sprat to catch a mackerel (third-person singular simple present throws a sprat to catch a mackerel, present participle throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel, simple past threw a sprat to catch a mackerel, past participle thrown a sprat to catch a mackerel)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1948 November and December, “Notes and News: Southampton and the M.S.W.J.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 410",
          "text": "It is pertinent to remember that in 1892, the M.S.W.J.R. had secured from the L.S.W.R. running powers between Andover and Southampton Dock, so no doubt the \"Solent Scheme\" should properly be regarded as a sprat set (successfully) to catch a mackerel.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better."
      ],
      "id": "en-throw_a_sprat_to_catch_a_mackerel-en-verb-S2wfrMVf",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fe/En-au-throw_a_sprat_to_catch_a_mackerel.ogg/En-au-throw_a_sprat_to_catch_a_mackerel.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/En-au-throw_a_sprat_to_catch_a_mackerel.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "throw a sprat to catch a mackerel"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "throws a sprat to catch a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "threw a sprat to catch a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thrown a sprat to catch a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "throw<,,threw,thrown> a sprat to catch a mackerel"
      },
      "expansion": "throw a sprat to catch a mackerel (third-person singular simple present throws a sprat to catch a mackerel, present participle throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel, simple past threw a sprat to catch a mackerel, past participle thrown a sprat to catch a mackerel)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1948 November and December, “Notes and News: Southampton and the M.S.W.J.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 410",
          "text": "It is pertinent to remember that in 1892, the M.S.W.J.R. had secured from the L.S.W.R. running powers between Andover and Southampton Dock, so no doubt the \"Solent Scheme\" should properly be regarded as a sprat set (successfully) to catch a mackerel.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fe/En-au-throw_a_sprat_to_catch_a_mackerel.ogg/En-au-throw_a_sprat_to_catch_a_mackerel.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/En-au-throw_a_sprat_to_catch_a_mackerel.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "throw a sprat to catch a mackerel"
}