# let the cat out of the bag

Pronunciation: US/UK say "let thuh kat owt uv thuh BAG" /ˌlɛt ðə ˌkæt aʊt əv ðə ˈbæɡ/; AUS say "let thuh KAT owt uhv thuh BAG"

## Idiom

1. To reveal a secret, frequently without meaning to.
   - Simple: To tell a secret, often by accident.
   - _She let the cat out of the bag about their engagement during dinner._
   - _One careless remark and he let the cat out of the bag about the upcoming merger._

## Origin

Recorded from the mid-1700s, this is the inverse of the idiom "pig in a poke." The image is of a dishonest merchant trying to pass off a cat as a pig; when the cat comes or is taken out of the bag, the merchant's trick is exposed.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).