smell a rat
/ˌsmel ə ˈræt/NEUTRAL · C1
Meaning
to suspect that something is dishonest or misleading
Examples
- 1I smelt a rat when the seller refused to show me the bicycle.
- 2That message asks for my password, so I smell a rat.
- 3The competition demanded a fee before awarding my prize; I smelt a rat and reported it.
- 4Wouldn't you smell a rat if every review used the same words and appeared on the same day?
- 5The supposedly new laptop had someone else's photos on it; Maya smelled a rat and questioned the seller.
Grammar
Only smell changes: smelled or British smelt. Keep a rat singular.
Similar in meaning
More idioms about animals
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →a one-trick ponysomeone or something skilled at only one kind of tasklet the cat out of the bagto reveal a secret, often without meaning tothe elephant in the rooman obvious problem that everyone avoids discussingan early birdsomeone who gets up or does things before othersa dark horsesomeone with unexpected talents or interests they rarely mentiona night owlsomeone who prefers staying awake and active late
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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