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Tuesday, April 25, 2017

To let the cat out of the bag

Idiom: to let the cat out of the bag – to reveal or tell secret information by mistake, to reveal facts that were hidden before, to let a secret be known without intending to

Context #1 

Three Friends are talking about a surprise party next Friday

Dan: Hey, Juan! Did you hear about that surprise party on Friday night? It’s supposed to be really big! Everyone is going.
Juan: Really? No, I haven’t heard about it at all.
Debbie: Come here, Dan! You just let the cat out of the bag! How could you?
Dan: What do you mean?
Debbie: It’s a surprise party for Juan’s birthday. He doesn’t know about it because it’s supposed to be a surprise!
Dan: Oh, I see. Sorry about that. I guess he knows now.

Context #2 

Two Co-Workers are talking during a break

Sami:  Hi, Petra. Congratulations on the promotion! I’m really happy for you.
Petra: What? Promotion? I have no idea what you are talking about.
Sami: Umm…our manager hasn’t talked to you yet?
Petra: No. I haven’t seen him today.
Sami: Well, I think I let the cat out of the bag. You got a really big promotion because of all the great work you have been doing recently. Everyone knows about it.
Petra: Ha, ha! Everyone, but me! Well, that’s OK. At least it was something good!


Meaning: To let the cat out of the bag means to tell someone a secret without intending to.  In Context 1, they are planning a surprise party for Juan and Dan accidentally tells Juan about his party. In Context 2, Sami tells Petra about her promotion before she even hears it from her boss.

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2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing, guys ... Great idiom ... Can't wait for more ... Keep up the good work ... We love you ...

    Can we also say 'spill the beans' to express the same idea?

    Russian ESL students
    American Language Center
    Moscow

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! Exactly! Same meaning ;-)

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