smell a rat

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smell a rat

/ˈsmɛl ə ˈɹæt/ UK

verb smells a rat · smelling a rat · smelt a rat · smelled a rat

idiomatic To sense something suspicious. Oh, Are you thereabouts, Sir; then I ſmell a Rat Ifaith; but I'll ſay nothing.

Translations

Every language

verb to sense something suspicious

Español	oler a gato encerrado, haber gato encerrado, olerse la tostada
Português	cheirar a esturro, ter caroço nesse angu, haver gato (aqui)
Français	y avoir anguille sous roche
Deutsch	den Braten riechen, Lunte riechen
Italiano	gatta ci cova, mangiare la foglia, farsi furbo, sentire puzza di bruciato

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MLA

"smell a rat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/smell%20a%20rat. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

smell a rat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/smell%20a%20rat

Chicago

"smell a rat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/smell%20a%20rat.

BibTeX

@misc{smell_a_rat_2026,
  title = {smell a rat},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/smell%20a%20rat},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}