Meaning & use
bell the cat
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Meanings
verbidiomfigurativeliterary
To take on a risky job for the benefit of a group, usually by confronting a powerful person.
Grammar: A fixed expression without a variable object; the verb bell changes form: he belled the cat.
Patterns
- bell the cat
- volunteer to bell the cat
Everyone complained about the boss, but nobody wanted to bell the cat.
Someone has to bell the cat and tell the committee the plan is flawed.
She bravely belled the cat and asked the director to explain the cuts.
verbidiomliterary
In the original story, to attach a bell to a cat so that mice can hear it coming.
Grammar: The literal meaning belongs to the fable and is rarely used outside retellings.
Patterns
- bell the cat in the fable
In the fable, the mice agree that someone must bell the cat.
The old mouse asked who would bell the cat, and silence followed.
The children acted out the story of the mice who wanted to bell the cat.
Word forms
| third person singular | bells the cat |
|---|---|
| past tense | belled the cat |
| past participle | belled the cat |
| -ing form | belling the cat |
Common combinations
- who will bell the cat
- We all agree, but who will bell the cat?
- volunteer to bell the cat
- No one would volunteer to bell the cat.
- dare to bell the cat
- Few employees dared to bell the cat.
- someone must bell the cat
- Someone must bell the cat before the problem gets worse.
- afraid to bell the cat
- The staff were afraid to bell the cat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stick one's neck out
- Stick one's neck out is the common modern idiom for taking a risk, while bell the cat adds the idea of acting for a group.
- take the plunge
- Take the plunge means finally doing something, not necessarily a risky act for others.
- stand up to
- Stand up to means confronting someone powerful, but bell the cat stresses being the one who dares to volunteer.
- take the lead
- Take the lead is neutral, while bell the cat implies danger.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bell the cat or let the cat out of the bag?
bell the cat vs let the cat out of the bag
Let the cat out of the bag means to reveal a secret, which has nothing to do with taking a risk for others.
Practice
The whole team thought the plan was unfair, but nobody was willing to ___ and confront the manager.
Choose one answer.
Bell the cat means to be the one who takes the risk for the group. Let the cat out means to reveal a secret, and the others do not form idioms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bell the cat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.