Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
smell-a-rat
idiom
/smɛl ə ræt/
Definition
To suspect that something is wrong or that someone is deceiving you.
Examples
- When he asked for money without explaining, I started to smell a rat.
- She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was trying to trick her; she just knew she could smell a rat in the room.
Meaning
This phrase is often used when someone has an intuition or feeling that there is dishonesty or trickery involved in a situation.
Synonyms
- suspicion
- doubt
- mistrust
- guilt by association
