The idiom "smell a rat" means to sense that something is wrong or suspicious about a situation or a person's behavior. It implies that you have a feeling that something is not quite right, even if you can't explain it logically.
For example, if you are in a business meeting and the other party is being overly friendly and offering you a deal that seems too good to be true, you might "smell a rat" and suspect that they have some hidden agenda or ulterior motive.
The origin of this idiom is unclear, but it is thought to come from the behavior of rats, which are known to have a strong sense of smell and can detect danger or predators before humans can.
In everyday conversation, you might use this idiom when you have a gut feeling that something is not right, even if you can't explain why. It can be used in both formal and informal situations, and is a useful way to express suspicion or skepticism without being too direct or confrontational.
• I smell a rat! The milk in the fridge has gone bad.
• She started to smell a rat when her friend kept avoiding her calls.
• The accountant smelled a rat when he noticed irregularities in the company's financial records.
• I smell a rat in this business deal. Something doesn't seem right.
• We all smelled a rat when the politician suddenly changed his stance on the controversial issue.
• The detective had a hunch and smelled a rat in the suspect's alibi, leading him to uncover the truth behind the crime.