Dictionary

let the cat out of the bag en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) 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.
   • [H]e proved himself as decent, decorous, and conscientious, as Peter was rampant, boisterous, and —— (this last epithet I choose to suppress, because it would let the cat out of the bag). 1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “The Winding-up”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 300:

Forms

Relateds

bare one's breast · get off one's chest · pig in a poke · buy a pup

Synonyms

let the cat out · talk · sing · babble · spill the beans · tattle · peach · blab

Translations (41)

hu elszólja magát (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · fi möläyttää julki (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · bg изпускам тайната (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · sco lat oot the pouther (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · ru вы́нести сор из избы (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · lb d'Kaz aus dem Sak loossen (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · es irse de la lengua (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · ro scăpa porumbelul (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · es destapar la olla (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · da slippe katten ud af sækken (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · hu kikotyog (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · br reiñ avel d'ar c'had (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · gl irse da lingua (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · hu kifecseg (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · pt dar com a língua nos dentes (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · es levantar la liebre (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · hu elkotyog (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · he יצא המרצע מן השק (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · gd leig mu sgaoil e (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · af die aap uit die mou laat (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · it spifferare (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · sh излепрљати (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · sh izleprljati (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · cs vybreptat to (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · pl wypuścić kota z worka (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · es descubrirse el pastel (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · sh odati tajnu nenamerno (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · de die Katze aus dem Sack lassen (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · bg изпусна тайната (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · sh одати тајну ненамерно (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · hu elárul (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · af die kat uit die sak laat (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · is tala af sér (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · cs prořeknout se (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · pl wypuszczać kota z worka (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · hu eljár a szája (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · is leysa frá skjóðunni (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · fr vendre la mèche (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · no slippe katta ut av sekken (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · cmn 露馅 (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently) · ro se scăpa (to disclose a secret, often inadvertently)