smell a rat

UK/ˈsmɛl ə ˈɹæt/

verb

To sense something suspicious.

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Meanings

verbsmell a rat (third-person singular simple present smells a rat, present participle smelling a rat, simple past and past participle smelt a rat or smelled a rat)

present singular third person smells a rat · participle present smelling a rat · participle past smelt a rat · past smelt a rat · participle past smelled a rat · past smelled a rat

  1. idiomaticTo sense something suspicious.

    Oh, Are you thereabouts, Sir; then I ſmell a Rat Ifaith; but I'll ſay nothing.

    1667 (revival performance), John Dryden, The Wild Gallant: A Comedy. […], In the Savoy [London]: […] T[homas] Newcomb for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1669, →OCLC, Act IV, page 45
    5 more examples

    [O]ur conjectures were like arrows ſhot in the dark—they were wide of the mark—till an old gentleman came into the room, who after affixing his ſpectacles on the ſuperior part of an aquiline noſe, told us—"he ſmelt a rat!" / "He ſmelt a rat!" and ſhaking his head with all the ſolemnity of Attic ſagacity—whiſpered to the perſon next his elbow, / "I know it!"

    1776 February, “a Lady”, “A Sentimental Journey”, in The Lady's Magazine; or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, Appropriated Solely to their Use and Enjoyment, London: Printed for G. Robinson, No. 25, Paternoster-Row, →OCLC, page 62, column 2

    Mr. Gresham, when he heard this, thought that he began to smell a rat, and was determined to be on his guard.

    1873 July 19 – 1874 January 10, Anthony Trollope, “The Prime Minister is Hard Pressed”, in Phineas Redux, London; New York, N.Y.: George Routledge and Sons, December 1874, →OCLC, page 335

    [John Broadus] Watson would have liked to continue his infant studies, but he never had the chance. His wife smelled a rat and found out his affair with his graduate student assistant, Rosalie Rayner.

    2007, Alex Boese, Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments, Orlando, Fla.: Harcourt, →ISBN

    “If I had told you my ideas, the very first time you saw Mr. Alfred Inglethorp that astute gentleman would have—in your so expressive idiom—‘smelt a rat’! And then, bonjour to our chances of catching him!”

    1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, London: Pan Books, published 1954, page 178

    Eventually, the job was re-advertised and she applied for it. She applied repeatedly over several years, but was never selected. She began smelling a rat (this being a land managing agency, a woodrat). She did some checking and found out that contrary to its promises, the agency had done all it could to "blackball" her from working in federal service again.

    2011, Russell L. Kaldenberg, “Being a US Government Cultural Resource Manager”, in Thomas F. King, editor, A Companion to Cultural Resource Management (Blackwell Companions to Anthropology; 17), Chichester, West Sussex; Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
smell a fox

Translations

Czech mít zlou předtuchu, tušit zradu
  • mít zlou předtuchuto sense something suspicious
  • tušit zraduto sense something suspicious
Danish der er ugler i mosen
  • der er ugler i mosento sense something suspicious
Finnish haistaa palaneen käryä, epäilyttää
  • haistaa palaneen käryäto sense something suspicious
  • epäilyttääto sense something suspicious
French y avoir anguille sous roche
  • y avoir anguille sous rocheto sense something suspicious
German den Braten riechen, Lunte riechen
  • den Braten riechento sense something suspicious
  • Lunte riechento sense something suspicious
Italian gatta ci cova, mangiare la foglia
  • gatta ci covato sense something suspicious
  • mangiare la fogliato sense something suspicious
  • farsi furboto sense something suspicious
  • sentire puzza di bruciatoto sense something suspicious
Norwegian Bokmål ane ugler i mosen
  • ane ugler i mosento sense something suspicious
Polish czuć pismo nosem
  • czuć pismo nosemto sense something suspicious
Portuguese cheirar a esturro, ter caroço nesse angu
  • cheirar a esturroto sense something suspicious
  • ter caroço nesse anguto sense something suspicious
  • haver gato (aqui)to sense something suspicious
Spanish oler a gato encerrado, haber gato encerrado
  • oler a gato encerradoto sense something suspicious
  • haber gato encerradoto sense something suspicious
  • olerse la tostadato sense something suspicious
Swedish ana ugglor i mossen
  • ana ugglor i mossento sense something suspicious
Turkish bityeniği sezmek, hile kokusu almak
  • bityeniği sezmekto sense something suspicious
  • hile kokusu almakto sense something suspicious
  • kuşkulanmakto sense something suspicious
Cite this entry
APA

smell a rat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smell%20a%20rat

MLA

“smell a rat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smell%20a%20rat. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smell a rat,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smell%20a%20rat.

Source: smell a rat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.