Definition: To reveal a secret accidentally. This idiom is used when one or more people learn new information that was meant to stay hidden or unknown. It is often used when someone shares the secret information verbally, but it can also be used when the information is discovered in other ways. The origin of this saying is disputed, but the most common explanation is that it came from a trick that was used in the past in English market places. Apparently, at an earlier time in history, baby pigs were often sold at market. The seller would give the buyer the piglet in a bag. As a trick to save money, the seller would sometimes stick a cat in the bag rather
than a piglet. The buyer might not realize he had been cheated until the cat came out of the bag, and the trick was revealed.Origin of Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Example of Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Here is an example conversation between family members, in which the child has been hiding a failing grade in his mathematics class.
Father: Hi, son. How was school today?
Son: Great! I’m getting really good grades in all my classes.
Mother: Really? Even in your math class?
Son: Yep! Especially in my math class.
Father: Son, your teacher called us today and told us you’re failing the math class. She let the cat out of the bag. There’s no reason to lie any more.
Son: I’m sorry. I was just embarrassed and didn’t want to tell you.
More Examples
- Nets and Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark let the cat out of the bag Thursday morning at the groundbreaking of the renovation of Nassau Coliseum, saying there would be a “major announcement” about professional basketball coming to the Coliseum in the future. –New York Post
- When you ask Amazon, they will simply reply “no comment” to the rumors that they’re planning to open 300 to 400 brick-and-mortar bookstores. But is that because it’s not true or because the company isn’t ready to let the cat out of the bag? When it opened its first brick-and-mortar bookstore in Seattle, the process was kept very, very quiet. –LA Times
Pronunciation in American English
The two words “out of” often get blended together in speech. Once blended, this part of the phrase sounds like “outta.” The whole phrase together sounds like, “He let the cat outta the bag.”
Also, if you don’t know who told the secret, you can simply say, “The cat’s outta the bag.”
Summary
The idiom let the cat out of the bag is a great phrase to use when you want to let someone know that previously secret information is no longer a secret.
Contents
- 1 Let the Cat Out of the Bag Meaning
- 2 Origin of Let the Cat Out of the Bag
- 3 Example of Let the Cat Out of the Bag
- 4 More Examples
- 5 Pronunciation in American English
- 6 Summary
To disclose a secret: “The mayor's visit was to be kept strictly confidential, but someone must have let the cat out of the bag, because the airport was swarming with reporters.” QUIZ SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE? Should you
take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge! Question 1 of 6 Which form is commonly used with other verbs to express intention? letterspace, letters patent,
letters testamentary, letter stock, letterwood, let the cat out of the bag,
let the chips fall where they may, let the grass grow under one's feet, Let them eat cake,
Let there be light, let the side down The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. blow, betray, blab, disclose,
divulge, inform, mouth, squeal, tattle,
tell, give away, leak, let slip, sing,
spill, squawk Really, is it any wonder that fluoride should freak people out? For a while yoga and pilates classes were sought out at luxury gyms like Equinox. On
Thursday, Garcetti ruled himself out of the race to succeed Boxer. France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.Words nearby let the cat out of the bag
Words related to let the cat out of the bag
How to use let the cat out of the bag in a sentence
Police officials told the AP that they came out with guns blazing.
And he was gone, and out of sight on the swift galloping Benito, before Father Gaspara bethought himself.
Most of the men leaped up, caught hold of spears or knives, and rushed out.
Liszt looked at it, and to her fright and dismay cried out in a fit of impatience, "No, I won't hear it!"
The most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them.
Squinty could look out, but the slats were as close together as those in a chicken coop, and the little pig could not get out.
Other Idioms and Phrases with let the cat out of the bag
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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
What does to let the cat out of the bag mean?
What's the origin of "let the cat out of the bag"?
let the cat out of the bag
- Meaning
- Example Sentences. The Mason's let the cat out of the bag at the end minute. ...
- Origin. The phrase originates from markets where animals were provided in bags and piglets would be substituted by cats, which when out would be a surprise for the audiences.
- Synonyms