Question

Choose the correct meaning of the given phrase.
‘To smell a rat’
a. To apprehend danger
b. To discover a conspiracy
c. To suspect a trick or deceit
d. To have selfish motives
e. To serve as a strong proof

Answer 1

Hint: The phrase ‘to smell a rat’ means to suspect that something isn’t right in a given situation.

Complete answer:
‘To smell a rat’ is an idiom. Idioms are phrases which have a metaphorical meaning. Their true meaning does not lie in their face value, but in a metaphor that represents the sum of their parts.
We can guess the meaning of this phrase from the word ‘rat’ which is part of this idiom. Rats have a negative image in general. Tricksters or unpleasant people are also known as rats. Therefore, to smell a rat means to suspect an unpleasant ruse.
Let us look at an example.
The man thought he smelled a rat when his mobile number was selected as the winner of an exclusive lottery.
Here, we can see that a man learns that he is the winner of a lottery. However, he thinks that something is fishy as many lottery deals scam their customers on the pretext of giving them money. Thus, we can say that he got suspicious and smelled a rat.

> Now, let us look at the question. We have been asked to choose the alternative which means the same as ‘to smell a rat’. This phrase is best described by the meaning to suspect a trick or deceit as we have seen above. Therefore, option ‘c’ is the correct answer.

Note: Students may mistake option ‘b’ as the correct answer as it also deals with discovering a deceit. However, to smell a rat is better explained by being suspicious, than by discovering the reason behind the suspicion.