haber gato en fol

Galician

Etymology

Literally, “(for there) to be a cat inside a bag”. Compare Spanish haber gato encerrado, Swedish ligga en hund begraven. First attested in the 18th century.

Verb

haber gato en fol (first-person singular present hei gato en fol, first-person singular preterite houben gato en fol, past participle habido gato en fol)

1. (idiomatic, impersonal) to have something fishy going on; to have something up one's sleeve
   • c. 1753, Diego Antonio Cernadas y Castro, Pois a meu amo así moles:

     Deixate de tolaxadas
     è ponte amigo mais mol,
     pois hè craro coma ò Sol,
     que el non tivo malidade
     contra ti; no chè verdade?
     Si, que aqui no ai gato en Fol.

     "Stop that nonsenses,
     go easy, friend
     because it's as clear as the sun
     that he had not bad intention
     against you. Isn't it true?
     Yes, because there is nothing fishy going on."

Further reading

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “haber gato en fol”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega