smells a rat

Grows suddenly wary

To smell a rat is to suspect that something is wrong or that someone is being deceitful: When he heard the too-good-to-be-true offer, he immediately smelled a rat.

Related

intuition · sixth sense · bad vibes · fraud · foul play · deceit · instinct · alarm bells · trickery · skepticism · duplicity · snake in the grass · fishy · guile · hidden agenda · smoke and mirrors · vigilance · discernment

Opposites
suspicion vs. trust

smells a rattakes at face value

Believes as presented

buys it · takes the bait · takes on faith · drinks the Kool-Aid

Family

smell, smells, smelled, smelling, smelly, rat, rats, ratty, ratted

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G