let the cat out of the bag

cat

C0151500 (kăt)n.1. a. A small domesticated carnivorous mammal (Felis catus), kept as a pet and as catcher of vermin, and existing in a variety of breeds.b. Any of various other carnivorous mammals of the family Felidae, including the lion, tiger, leopard, and lynx.2. Informal A woman who is regarded as spiteful.3. Slang a. A person, especially a man.b. A player or devotee of jazz music.4. A cat-o'-nine-tails.5. A catfish.6. Nautical a. A cathead.b. A device for raising an anchor to the cathead.c. A catboat.d. A catamaran.v. cat·ted, cat·ting, cats v.tr. Nautical To hoist an anchor to (the cathead).v.intr. Slang To look for sexual partners; have an affair or affairs: "catting around with every lady in sight" (Gore Vidal).Idiom: let the cat out of the bag To let a secret be known.

[Middle English, from Old English catt, from Germanic *kattuz; akin to Late Latin cattus and Old Church Slavonic kotŭka, all ultimately of unknown origin. Sense 6d, short for catamaran.]

CAT

abbr.1. clear-air turbulence2. computerized axial tomography

let the cat out of the bag

To give away a secret; from the idea of selling someone what they think is a pig inside a bag that actually contains only a cat.

Thesaurus

Verb

let the cat out of the bag - divulge confidential information or secrets; "Be careful--his secretary talks"babble out, blab, blab out, peach, spill the beans, tattle, babble, talk, singdisclose, let on, divulge, expose, give away, let out, reveal, unwrap, discover, bring out, break - make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to her"; "unwrap the evidence in the murder case"talk, spill - reveal information; "If you don't oblige me, I'll talk!"; "The former employee spilled all the details"

Translations

泄露秘密

cat

(kӕt) noun1. a small, four-legged, fur-covered animal often kept as a pet. a Siamese cat.猫2. a large wild animal of the same family (eg tiger, lion etc). the big cats.猫科ˈcatty adjective spiteful, malicious. She's catty even about her best friend; catty remarks.恶毒的ˈcatcall noun a shrill whistle showing disagreement or disapproval. the catcalls of the audience.不满的嘘声ˈcatfish noun any of a family of scaleless fish with long feelers round the mouth. 鲇鱼ˈcatgut noun a kind of cord made from the intestines of sheep etc, used for violin strings etc. （羊）肠线 ˌcat's-ˈeye noun a small, thick piece of glass fixed in the surface of a road to reflect light and guide drivers at night. 道路反光路灯ˈcatsuit noun a woman's close-fitting one-piece trouser suit. （女式）紧身套服 ˈcattail noun a tall plant that grows in wet places, with flowers shaped like a cat's tail. 香蒲let the cat out of the bag to let a secret become known unintentionally. 泄露秘密

let the cat out of the bag

To reveal a secret. How did Mom find out we were planning a surprise party for her? Who let the cat out of the bag?See also: bag, cat, let, of, out

let the cat out of the bag

Fig. to reveal a secret or a surprise by accident. When Bill glanced at the door, he let the cat out of the bag. We knew then that he was expecting someone to arrive. It's a secret. Try not to let the cat out of the bag.See also: bag, cat, let, of, out

let the cat out of the bag

Give away a secret, as in Mom let the cat out of the bag and told us Karen was engaged. This expression alludes to the dishonest practice of a merchant substituting a worthless cat for a valuable pig, which is discovered only when the buyer gets home and opens the bag. [Mid-1700s] Also see pig in a poke. See also: bag, cat, let, of, out

let the cat out of the bag

If you let the cat out of the bag, you reveal something secret or private, often without meaning to. `The Mosses didn't tell the cops my name, did they?' `Of course not,' she said. `They wouldn't want to let the cat out of the bag.' She'd known she was taking a risk in letting the cat out of the bag about Jacobs. Note: You can say that the cat is out of the bag when a secret has been revealed. The cat was well and truly out of the bag. The biggest scandal for years was about to overtake the government. Note: This expression may have its origin in an old trick where one person pretended to sell a piglet in a bag to another, although the bag really contained a cat. If the cat was let out of the bag, then the trick would be exposed. See also: bag, cat, let, of, out

let the cat out of the bag

reveal a secret, especially carelessly or by mistake. A similar metaphorical use of bag may be found in the French phrase vider le sac , literally ‘empty the bag’, meaning ‘tell the whole story’. 1996 Bernard Connolly The Rotten Heart of Europe Tim Renton …at odds with his leader on Europe, let the cat out of the bag when he told a television audience, ‘we need a strong Europe to maintain our independence from the United States and the Pacific Rim’. See also: bag, cat, let, of, out

let the ˈcat out of the bag

(informal) make known a secret, usually without realizing what you are doing: ‘Who let the cat out of the bag?’ ‘I’m afraid I did. I thought everybody already knew.’ ♢ Nobody knew she had been offered the job until her husband let the cat out of the bag. OPPOSITE: keep something under your hatSee also: bag, cat, let, of, out

let the cat out of the bag

To let a secret be known.See also: bag, cat, let, of, out

let the cat out of the bag, to

To give away a secret. This expression dates from an ancient practice of substituting a worthless cat for a valuable suckling pig by a dishonest tradesman in a farmer’s market. When the hapless buyer got home and opened the bag, the cat was revealed. See also pig in a poke.See also: cat, let, of, out

let the cat out of the bag

cat

CAT

let the cat out of the bag

cat

let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

let the ˈcat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag, to

let the cat out of the bag

Synonyms for let the cat out of the bag

verb divulge confidential information or secrets

Synonyms

Related Words