haber gato encerrado

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “(for there) to be [an] enclosed cat”. Compare Swedish ligga en hund begraven.

Verb

haber gato encerrado (impersonal, third-person singular present ha gato encerrado or (used impersonally) hay gato encerrado, third-person singular preterite hubo gato encerrado, past participle habido gato encerrado)

1. (idiomatic, impersonal) to have something fishy going on

   En aquella situación hubo gato encerrado.

   There was something fishy going on there.

2. (idiomatic, impersonal) to have a catch; a concealed condition or difficulty

   Lo que dice del acuerdo me parece demasiado perfecto. Creo que hay gato encerrado.

   What he says does seem too good to be true. I think there's a catch.

   Dijo que yo podría tomar todos los libros, pero descubrí que había gato encerrado. Se rompió el brazo y yo necesitaría llevarlos todos sin ayuda.

   He said I could have all the books, but I discovered that there was a catch. His arm was broken and I had to carry them all myself.

See also

• oler a pólvora

Further reading

• “haber gato encerrado”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28