To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.

Etymology:

  • 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.
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It was going to be a surprise party until someone let the cat out of the bag.

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'let the cat out of the bag':

let the cat out of the bagA figure of speech relative to someone revealing an important event or secret to the world thereby spoiling the entire thrust of a surprise.
let the cat out of the bagTo reveal a secret. Monique let the cat out of the bag when she told Courtney about the surprise birthday party.
Let the Cat Out of the BagTo expose something, to disclose a secret
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the let the cat out of the bag phrase in other languages:

die Katze aus dem Sack lassen

ಬೆಕ್ಕನ್ನು ಚೀಲದಿಂದ ಹೊರಗೆ ಬಿಡಿ

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    "let the cat out of the bag." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag_5061>.

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