let the cat out of the bag

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let the cat out of the bag

To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.

Etymology:

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.

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It was going to be a surprise party until someone let the cat out of the bag.

Collection Edit

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'let the cat out of the bag':

let the cat out of the bag	A figure of speech relative to someone revealing an important event or secret to the world thereby spoiling the entire thrust of a surprise.
let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret. Monique let the cat out of the bag when she told Courtney about the surprise birthday party.
Let the Cat Out of the Bag	To expose something, to disclose a secret

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Translation

Find a translation for the let the cat out of the bag phrase in other languages:

die Katze aus dem Sack lassen

ಬೆಕ್ಕನ್ನು ಚೀಲದಿಂದ ಹೊರಗೆ ಬಿಡಿ

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to let the cat out of the bag

let slide let someone down gently let up let somebody in on let the perfect be the enemy of the good let someone go let slip let there be no reprisals, said the wid…let the good times roll let there be light let there be light let the puppies breathe let the grass grow under one's feet let someone have it

How to pronounce this phrase?

Alex
US English
David
US English
Mark
US English
Daniel
British
Libby
British
Mia
British
Karen
Australian
Hayley
Australian
Natasha
Australian
Veena
Indian
Priya
Indian
Neerja
Indian
Zira
US English
Oliver
British
Wendy
British
Fred
US English
Tessa
South African

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"let the cat out of the bag." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag_5061>.

let the cat out of the bag

Etymology:

Additional definitions for 'let the cat out of the bag':

Translation

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to let the cat out of the bag

How to pronounce this phrase?

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