Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: About cats and bags

If it's possible, can anybody tell me where the expression "to let a cat out
of the bag" comes from ?
Thanks in advance
Bye Asoka xx'82
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of the bag" comes from ?
Sorry, " the cat ".
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> of the bag" comes from ?
From "Cliches : Over 1500 Phrases Explored and Explained"
"LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG is an idiom cliche meaning to reveal 
a secret. In origin it refers allegedly to a fairground trick by 
which traders sold unwary buyers a cat in a bag, assuring them it 
was a pig. The buyers did not realize their mistake until they let 
the cat out of the bag, by which time it was too late."
Raymot
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the cat out of the bag, by which time it was too late."
Very large cats or very small pigs in those days? Mumble, mumble...
Isa
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching

 Terms are chosen to underline my ignorance, but also to reduce the yours :)
Very altruistic of you!
Si dice "to reduce yours", senza l'articolo.
Mary
(remove "nospam" to reply)
---
"This is the kind of English up with which I will not put" -- Winston Churchill

the cat out of the bag, by which time it was too late."
Thank you for the explanation
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Isa
Beh, sono solo il messaggero.
Perhaps they should have said piglets. I believe that piglets
are small before they become big.
Raymot
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I hadn't heard that one.
Could it be connected with the saying "to buy a pig in a poke?"
Mary
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"Where is my pig?" wondered Tom, disgruntledly.

 Very altruistic of you!
You understand me.


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"Where is my pig?" wondered Tom, disgruntledly.
"You fool! You've bought a cat instead!", snorted his wife.
Raymot
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But let me underline you never saw my Maine Coons :))))
Ciao Paolo,
Posso prendere la libertà di correggere questa frase?
"You've never seen my Maine Coons" Il 'present perfect'
è meglio qui, almeno che i gatti non sono morti. Questa frase 
lascia aperte la possibilità che si potrebbe vedere i gatti a 
un tempo nel futuro, e questa costruzione va sempre così in 
Inglese se una tale possibilità esiste. 
È più "polite". Spesso si legge così:
Inglese: "But your English is so good!"
Italiano: "Well, you never heard me speak!"
La forma corretta è "Well, you've never heard me speak!" (yet; up
until now)
If your Main Coons have already gone to meet their maker,
you have my condolences, and you may ignore my suggestion.
(Have you seen my catpage?):
http://www.powerup.com.au/~rmottare/gatti.htm
Ciao, 
Raymot
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Brisbane, Australia
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 you have my condolences, and you may ignore my suggestion.
They are 80 days old! :) Let me touch iron (wood for you)
Buon vento
(*) QUESTION for non italian speakers: who's the subject? :)))

speak?
No, you don't.
With "hear" and "see" you don't need them.
"I heard him talk. I saw him walk to the car."
You can say "I heard him talking, I saw him walking ..." but it's
not necessary.
You can't say "I heard him to talk"!
By the way, corrections to my Italian are always appreciated.
Ciao, 
Raymot
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Only to the practice, though : the meaning is completely different.
"To let the cat out of the bag" means "lasciarsi fuggire un segreto", that
is to say "to reveal a secret", as Raymot said.
Instead "to buy a pig in a poke" means "comprare la gatta nel sacco" (there
you go), or, better, "comprare alla cieca", that is to say "to buy something
unwarily, recklessly".
So the facts are very similar, but the meaning isn't.
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not necessary.
You use this form when you see a frame of the action (another Latin
inheritance...)
e.g. I saw him running in the park
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 Instead "to buy a pig in a poke" means "comprare la gatta nel sacco"
(there
Pig=gatto? :)

...
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No :-):-), è come si dice questa espressione in italiano...
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Più comune è l'espressione "comprare a scatola chiusa".
Ciao,
Dario.
ITA