How do you say “Smell a rat” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is den Braten riechen, which literally means “to smell the roast”. English speakers use smell a rat to mean to suspect that something dishonest is happening. A close German idiom for noticing a hidden trick or intention. It can imply that you have worked out more than the English does. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
den Braten riechen
/deːn ˈbʁaːtn̩ ˈʁiːçn̩/
- Literal meaning
- “to smell the roast”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
91 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German keeps the smell but replaces the rat with a roast. “Ich habe den Braten gerochen” suggests you noticed what was really going on.
It can describe seeing through a plan as well as merely suspecting one. Avoid treating either phrase as proof that wrongdoing occurred.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity4 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I smelled a rat when the seller refused to show me the bicycle.
German
Ich roch den Braten, als der Verkäufer mir das Fahrrad nicht zeigen wollte.
English
They changed their story three times, and we began to smell a rat.
German
Sie änderten ihre Geschichte dreimal, und wir fingen an, den Braten zu riechen.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01