smell a rat

Cultural  

1. To sense foul play: “They claim they will honor the terms of the contract, but I smell a rat.”

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smell a rat Idioms  

1. Suspect something is wrong, especially a betrayal of some kind. For example, When I didn't hear any more from my prospective employer, I began to smell a rat. This expression alludes to a cat sniffing out a rat. [c. 1550]

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Example Sentences

Did you smell a rat in Season 1?

From New York Times • Jun. 17, 2024

“You can kind of smell a rat when it comes to those things,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2022

Google says it’s part of a “long-standing policy” against creating games that take advantage of “sensitive events,” but some employees smell a rat.

From The Verge • Oct. 16, 2019

Pilger said that she would often call him, early in the morning, after hearing of a military operation or a surgical air strike somewhere and say, “ ‘I smell a rat.’

From The New Yorker • Sep. 18, 2019

I don’t answer, as I’m still undecided as to whether I smell a rat.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• assume
• believe
• consider
• doubt
• presume
• speculate
• think
• wonder