smell a rat

smell a rat
phrasal
: to have a suspicion of something wrong

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smell a rat
To have a suspicion that something is afoot
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Main Entry:rat
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smell a rat see under ↑rat1
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Main Entry:smell

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smell a rat informal phrase
to believe that something dishonest, illegal, or wrong has happened

When I saw the look they gave each other I smelled a rat.

Thesaurus: to have an opinion or opinionssynonym
Main entry: smell

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informal suspect trickery or deception

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smell a rat
informal : to think or suspect that something is wrong about a situation

She smelled a rat when her husband came home with lipstick on his collar.

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Main Entry:rat
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smell a rat — see rat, 1
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Main Entry:smell

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ˌsmell a ˈrat idiom
(informal) to suspect that sth is wrong about a situation
Main entry:smellidiom

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • smell a rat — {v. phr.}, {informal} To be suspicious; feel that something is wrong. * /Every time Tom visits me, one of my ashtrays disappears. I m beginning to smell a rat./ * /When the policeman saw a light go on in the store at midnight, he smelled a rat./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • smell a rat — {v. phr.}, {informal} To be suspicious; feel that something is wrong. * /Every time Tom visits me, one of my ashtrays disappears. I m beginning to smell a rat./ * /When the policeman saw a light go on in the store at midnight, he smelled a rat./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • smell a rat — If you smell a rat, you know instinctively that something is wrong or that someone is lying to you …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • smell a rat — ► smell a rat informal suspect trickery. Main Entry: ↑smell …   English terms dictionary

  • smell a rat —    If you smell a rat, you know instinctively that something is wrong or that someone is lying to you.   (Dorking School Dictionary)    ***    To say I smell a rat means that you suspect that something is wrong, or that someone is doing something …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • smell\ a\ rat — v. phr. informal To be suspicious; feel that something is wrong. Every time Tom visits me, one of my ashtrays disappears. I m beginning to smell a rat. When the policeman saw a light go on in the store at midnight, he smelled a rat …   Словарь американских идиом

  • smell a rat — tv. to suspect that something is wrong. □ He smelled a rat the minute he came into the room. □ Keep everything normal. I don’t want her to smell a rat. She has never had a surprise party before …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • smell a rat — verb To sense something suspicious. Oh, are you thereabouts, sir? then I smell a rat, i’faith; but Ill say nothing …   Wiktionary

  • smell a rat — become suspicious I don t know what he is doing but something seems strange and I smell a rat …   Idioms and examples

  • Smell a rat —   If you smell a rat, you know instinctively that something is wrong or that someone is lying to you …   Dictionary of English idioms

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