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Smell a Rat (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Smell a Rat"?
The term "smell a rat" means to suspect something is wrong or to suspect someone of betraying the group (i.e., of being an informer).
Examples of Use:
- Why have they only sent the deputy leader to the meeting? I smell a rat.
- I smell a rat. The offer is too good to be true.
- Her husband has been working late a lot recently. She is starting to smell a rat.
- How did the protestors know about the product launch? The CEO smells a rat. (Here, the idiom refers specifically to suspecting there is an informer.)
- "But then beware the catte; For yf they smell a ratt, They grisely chide and chatt."
Of note, a person in a group who secretly gives information to the authorities or an enemy is known as a "rat." Sometimes, "smell a rat" refers specifically to suspecting there is an informer in the group.
Competing Theory
Rats stink – dead rats even more so. This saying originates from the idea that we can tell a rat is present from its smell. Imagine someone moving furniture and looking in cupboards to find the source of the foul smell, a dead rat.Previous and Next Sayings
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