let the cat out of the bag
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let the cat out of the bag
Where it comes from
First use appears c. 1753 or 1770. 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.
verb lets the cat out of the bag · letting the cat out of the bag · let the cat out of the bag · let the cat out the bag
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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.
Similar: babble, blab, let the cat out, peach, sing, spill the beans, talk, tattle
Translations
Every language
verb to disclose a secret, often inadvertently
| Español | irse de la lengua, levantar la liebre, descubrirse el pastel, destapar la olla |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 露馅 lòuxiàn |
| Português | dar com a língua nos dentes |
| Français | vendre la mèche |
| Deutsch | die Katze aus dem Sack lassen |
| Italiano | spifferare |
| Română | scăpa porumbelul, se scăpa |
| Русский | вы́нести сор из избы výnesti sor iz izby |
| עברית | יצא המרצע מן השק yatsá hamartséa' min hasak |
Talk about this word "let the cat out of the bag." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/let%20the%20cat%20out%20of%20the%20bag. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. let the cat out of the bag. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/let%20the%20cat%20out%20of%20the%20bag "let the cat out of the bag." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/let%20the%20cat%20out%20of%20the%20bag.Cite this
@misc{let_the_cat_out_of_the_bag_2026,
title = {let the cat out of the bag},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/let%20the%20cat%20out%20of%20the%20bag},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
