smelling a rat
Detecting something fishy
Smelling a rat is sensing that something is wrong or suspicious—that deception or treachery is afoot.
The phrase suggests an intuitive detection of hidden wrongdoing, like a cat detecting a rat concealed nearby: I started smelling a rat when his story kept changing.
Often appears as smell a rat.
- misgivingUneasy feeling of doubt
- sixth senseExtrasensory perception ability
- trust your gutRely on intuition
- instinctInnate behavioral tendency
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
doubt · gut feeling · bad vibes · vigilance · discernment · detection · trickery · hunch · fear · scam · wariness · skepticism · alarm bells · insight · duplicity · falsehood · too good to be true · unease
smelling a rattaking at face value
Believing something as presented
buying it · falling for it · taking the bait · blind faith · credulity
smelling a ratunsuspecting
Not anticipating danger
turning a blind eye · unwitting · ignorance · sleeping on it · burying one's head in the sand