Question

Choose the correct meaning of the idiom/phrase.
To smell a rat.
A. Signs of plague epidemic
B. Bad smell
C. Suspect foul dealings
D. To be in a bad mood

Answer 1

Hint: Choose the correct meaning of the idiom/phrase. Idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from the usual or literal meaning of the words it is made.

Complete answer:
To smell a rat: It means to recognize that something is not as it appears to be or that something fishy is happening.

Option A: Signs of plague epidemic is an incorrect answer because plague is an epidemic disease that causes high mortality caused by a bacterium, characterized by a fever, chills and prostration transmitted to humans from rats.

Option B: Bad smell is also an incorrect answer because it means having an unpleasant or foul smell or an offensive odor. So, bad smell has no relation to the meaning of the idiom given in the question.

Option C: Suspect foul dealings is a correct answer because it means to detect something unusual occurring or to find something there is wrong in any situation.

Option D: To be in a mood is also an inappropriate answer because it is an irritable, annoyed or angry state of mind. It is also a state of mind where someone is feeling sad and depressed.

Hence, the correct answers are Option ‘C’.

Note: To smell a rat is often used to describe the suspicion of foul dealings because rats are related to foul and bad meanings. It can be seen from the example like, “when I got an email asking for my password, I smelt a rat”. This simply means that there is something trickery or sensed that something which is not right.