idiom · informal
let the cat out of the bag
UK/let ðə kæt aʊt əv ðə bæg/US/lɛt ðə kæt aʊt əv ðə bæg/let·the·CAT·out·of·the·BAG
to reveal a secret, usually by accident
Examples
“He let the cat out of the bag when he mentioned the date of the party.”
“Try not to let the cat out of the bag before the announcement.”
“I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but I let the cat out of the bag without meaning to.”
Band 8 sentence
“I was so careful not to mention names, but somehow I let the cat out of the bag.”
Collocations
- let the cat out of the bag about sth
- accidentally let the cat out
Word family
Common mistakes
let cat out of bag→let the cat out of the bag
let the cat out→let the cat out of the bag
Say it for a higher band
5tell→6reveal→7+let the cat out of the bag
Synonyms
spill the beans
Easily confused
spill the beans
“We tried to keep it secret, but he spilled the beans during the meeting.”
Related words
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In Communication
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