smell a rat

Meaning: To sense that something dishonest is going on.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Example: “When he insisted on paying in cash, I began to smell a rat.”

Category: Animals

Origin: A dog or cat smells a rat it cannot see. The phrase is recorded in English from the 16th century.

Equivalents in other languages

have a bee in one's bonnet — To be obsessed with one idea.
when pigs fly — Never.
not turn a hair — To show no reaction at all.
two men and a dog — A very small crowd.
has the cat got your tongue? — Said to someone who stays silent when they should speak.
a scapegoat — Someone blamed for others' faults.

a hard nut to crack — A difficult problem, or a person who is hard to deal with.
have a finger in every pie — To be involved in many different things at once.
go off without a hitch — To happen smoothly, with no problems.
lose one's shirt — To lose all one's money.
every little bit helps — Even a small contribution is worth having.
get the wrong end of the stick — To misunderstand something completely.

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Pochemuchka — A person — usually a child — who asks an endless stream of questions, one 'why?' after an…