let the cat out of the bag

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English

WOTD – 6 June 2009

Etymology

(Mid-1700s) The inverse of the idiom pig in a poke. If a dishonest merchant tries to sell a cat as a pig and the cat comes out or is taken out of the bag, the merchant's secret is disclosed.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (AU)(file)

Verb

let the cat out of the bag (third-person singular simple present lets the cat out of the bag, present participle letting the cat out of the bag, simple past and past participle let the cat out of the bag)

  1. (idiomatic) To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.
    It was going to be a surprise party until someone let the cat out of the bag.
    • 1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], Shirley. A Tale. , volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder and Co., , →OCLC:
      He proved himself as decent, decorous, and conscientious as Peter was rampant, boisterous, and — This last epithet I choose to suppress, because it would let the cat out of the bag.

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See also

References

  1. ^ “The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, 2010 November 21 (last accessed), archived from the original on 18 March 2011
  2. ^ Gary Martin (1997–) “Let the cat out of the bag”, in The Phrase Finder.
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