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smell a rat

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smell a rat

to suspect that something is wrong; to sense that someone has caused something wrong. I don't think this was an accident. I smell a rat. Bob had something to do with this. The minute I came in, I smelled a rat. Sure enough, I had been robbed.

See also: rat, smell

smell a rat

to believe something is wrong When my husband started working late three or four times a week, I smelled a rat.

See also: rat, smell

smell a rat

to start to believe that something is wrong about a situation, especially that someone is being dishonest She smelled a rat when she phoned him at the office where he was supposed to be working late and he wasn't there.

See also: rat, smell

smell a rat

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]

See also: rat, smell

smell a rat

tv. to suspect that something is wrong. Keep everything normal. I don’t want her to smell a rat. She has never had a surprise party before.

See also: rat, smell

smell a rat

Slang

To suspect that something is wrong.

See also: rat, smell