let the cat out of the bag

English

WOTD – 6 June 2009

Alternative forms

let the cat out the bag

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.^[1]^[2]

Pronunciation

Audio (Australian): (file)

Verb

let the cat out of the bag (third-person singular simple present lets the cat out of the bag, present participle letting the cat out of the bag, simple past and past participle let the cat out of the bag)

(idiomatic) To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.
Synonyms: babble, blab, let the cat out, peach (obsolete), sing, spill the beans, talk, tattle

It was going to be a surprise party until someone 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:
  [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).

References

^ “The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎^[1], 21 November 2010 (last accessed), archived from the original on 18 March 2011
^ Gary Martin (1997–), “Let the cat out of the bag”, in The Phrase Finder.

[1] “The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎^[1], 21 November 2010 (last accessed), archived from the original on 18 March 2011

[2] Gary Martin (1997–), “Let the cat out of the bag”, in The Phrase Finder.

[1]

[2]