Let the cat out of the bag means to give away a secret. It is usually said about a secret that slipped out by accident: a surprise, a present, an engagement or news at work. The idiom is informal; in an essay, write reveal a secret instead.
When would you say let the cat out of the bag?
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let the cat out of the bag (about + something); Who let the cat out of the bag?
- We planned a surprise party for Dad, but my little brother let the cat out of the bag.
- Somebody let the cat out of the bag about the merger before the official announcement.
- I nearly let the cat out of the bag when I mentioned the concert tickets at dinner.
What changed
First versionDon't tell Sam about the trip: he always lets the cat out from the bag.
RevisionDon't tell Sam about the trip: he always lets the cat out of the bag.
Out from may seem logical, since the cat comes from inside the bag, but the idiom needs out of: the cat out of the bag. The form is fixed, and out from sounds like a mistake. Only from was changed to of.
A synonym is spill the beans. Both are informal, but let the cat out of the bag usually means the secret came out by accident. Spill the beans can also be said to someone you are persuading to tell you everything: Come on, spill the beans! Who was on the phone?
Your turn
We wanted to keep our wedding a secret until June, but my aunt ___ at a family dinner.
Show the answer
let the cat out of the bag — The wedding was supposed to stay secret, but the aunt gave it away, as the word but shows. So the answer is let the cat out of the bag. Let off steam means to release anger or pent-up energy, and it has nothing to do with revealing a secret.
Think of a time when someone (maybe you) accidentally gave away a surprise or a secret. Write what the secret was and how it came out.
My colleague let the cat out of the bag about my promotion when she congratulated me in the lift before the official meeting.
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