Question

Smell a Rat to be suspicious; to feel that something is wrong

Accepted Answer

Although everything looked all right, the investigator smelled a rat. Rats are among the most unpopular animals. When most people think of rats, they think of disgusting, wicked, horrible images. Cats have been sniffing out rats for thousands of years, and in the mid-1500s the phrase "smell a rat" was used for human beings who suspected ("smelled") that something illegal, evil, or sinful ("a rat") had taken place.

Idiom	Smell a Rat
Example	Although everything looked all right, the investigator smelled a rat.
Meaning	to be suspicious; to feel that something is wrong
Origin	Rats are among the most unpopular animals. When most people think of rats, they think of disgusting, wicked, horrible images. Cats have been sniffing out rats for thousands of years, and in the mid-1500s the phrase "smell a rat" was used for human beings who suspected ("smelled") that something illegal, evil, or sinful ("a rat") had taken place.

Rat Smell Looked Investigator Smelled Suspicious Feel Wrong