the cat is out of the bag
18
5.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
el secreto salió a la luz
- Now that the cat is out of the bag, we can finally plan the surprise party together.
- let the cat is out of the bag
- now the cat's out of the bag
- Oh, the cat's out of the bag
Examples
-
Looks like the cat's out of the bag.
-
By then, they had already let the cat out of the bag...
Blog text (18) -
- The cat is out of the bag!
-
And once that particular cat is out of the bag, others are sure to follow.
Blog text (26) -
Someone has let the cat out of the bag.
Fiction book (1991) -
Well, the cat is out of the bag with this New World Order thing.
Blog text (18) -
Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?
-
I think the cat's out of the bag, Teddy.
-
The cat's out of the bag now.
-
The cat's out of the bag.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Show something that was hidden or secret
830
2.9
To become known to people after being hidden
342
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
243
3.5
Reveal secret facts to the public
32
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
4
7.1
To reveal information that was previously hidden
2
7.0
A secret or problem becomes known later
1
6.5
Tell a secret and spoil a planned surprise
1
5.5
To tell a secret by accident and spoil a surprise
1
9.5
Their plan to trick people is discovered so they cannot continue
1
6.5
To reveal something hidden or forgotten
To become known after being hidden
Antonyms
How Revealed
176
4.1
- Informal
18
5.7
5
5.6
∞
1.0
136
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + cat + be + out + of + the + bag
The meaning 'a secret has been revealed' cannot be directly derived from the literal constituents 'cat', 'bag' and the verb 'be/ out' — the image of a cat in a bag does not transparently map to disclosure. Although 'out' can suggest exposure, the whole phrase is an established idiom with an opaque, culturally specific meaning that a B1 learner who only knows the individual words would not reliably predict.
Etymology
The idiom the cat is out of the bag comes from a story about old markets: a seller would hide a pig in a bag, but dishonest sellers sometimes put a cat instead. If the cat got out of the bag, the trick was found out, so the phrase now means 'a secret has been revealed'.