let the cat out of the bag

Cultural  

1. To disclose a secret: “The mayor's visit was to be kept strictly confidential, but someone must have let the cat out of the bag, because the airport was swarming with reporters.”

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let the cat out of the bag Idioms  

1. Give away a secret, as in Mom let the cat out of the bag and told us Karen was engaged. This expression alludes to the dishonest practice of a merchant substituting a worthless cat for a valuable pig, which is discovered only when the buyer gets home and opens the bag. [Mid-1700s] Also see pig in a poke.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

let the cat out of the bag

“I had to let the cat out of the bag and get her in on it,” says Chandler, who is based in Cincinnati.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025

Now that the movie is in theaters — spoiler alert — we can finally let the cat out of the bag.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 1, 2023

"The question was how to organise this with Swedish authorities and not let the cat out of the bag," Mr Moussavi said.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2021

I guess you could say Warner Bros. really let the cat out of the bag.

From The Verge ● Mar. 8, 2021

The day after I-r0k let the cat out of the bag, the name “Daito” appeared in the fourth slot on the Scoreboard.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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