Smell a rat

Meaning

The idiom "smell a rat" means to discover or suspect something fishy or wrong about a situation or person. It is often used when someone has found out that someone else has been dishonest or deceitful.

Usage

• "I had a bad feeling about the deal from the start, but after I started digging deeper, I really smelled a rat." - This sentence suggests that the speaker had an intuition that something was off about the deal, but it wasn't until they started investigating more closely that they discovered evidence of fraud or deceit.
• "I couldn't shake the feeling that my boss was hiding something from me. It wasn't until I saw him talking to his colleague on the phone in another language that I really smelled a rat." - This sentence suggests that the speaker had a hunch that their boss was keeping secrets from them, but it wasn't until they heard their boss speaking in a language they didn't understand that they suspected foul play.
• "I couldn't believe how much money my friend won at the casino. It almost seemed too good to be true. I really smelled a rat when I found out he had been using my credit card to make all those bets." - This sentence suggests that the speaker was suspicious of their friend's sudden windfall and discovered that their friend had been cheating them out of money.
• "I saw my colleague stealing office supplies, but I didn't want to accuse her without any evidence. It wasn't until I found a receipt for the stolen items in her desk drawer that I really smelled a rat." - This sentence suggests that the speaker had observed their colleague taking office supplies, but they didn't have enough proof to confront her until they found a receipt that incriminated her.
• "I was on the phone with customer service when I overheard the representative telling my friend that they had won a free vacation. It sounded too good to be true. I really smelled a rat when I realized the company was just trying to get my friend to buy more products from them." - This sentence suggests that the speaker was suspicious of a promotional offer they heard on the phone and discovered that it was just a ploy to get the caller to buy more products.

Roots and History

The idiom "smell a rat" dates back to the 17th century and comes from the practice of hunting rats with dogs. When a dog detected the scent of a rat, they would bark loudly, alerting hunters to the presence of prey. The phrase "smell a rat" is thought to have originated from the idea that if you caught the scent of a rat, you had sniffed out something suspicious or dishonest.

Synonyms in English

Other idioms with a similar meaning include "catch someone red-handed," "have a gut feeling," and "get a bad vibe."

Synonyms in other languages

Here are five synonyms with translations and descriptions in other languages:

• French: "sentir la ronge" (to smell the rat) - This idiom means to discover something suspicious or illegal.
• Spanish: "darle un ojo" (to give someone the eye) - This idiom means to suspect someone of wrongdoing or deception.
• German: "stellenwerfen" (to accuse someone) - This idiom means to make an accusation against someone.
• Italian: "scoprire qualcosa su qualcuno" (to discover something about someone) - This idiom means to uncover information about someone.
• Chinese: "发现错误" (to discover a mistake) - This idiom means to find out that someone or something is not what it seems.

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