let the cat out of the bag
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.[1][2]
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)
- (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, Charlotte Brontë, Shirley
- 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.
Synonyms
Translations
to disclose a secret, often inadvertently
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References
See also
- pig in a poke
- buy a pup
- sell a pup
- be sold a pup
- get off one's chest
- bare one's breast
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