let the cat out

English

Verb

let the cat out (third-person singular simple present lets the cat out, present participle letting the cat out, simple past and past participle let the cat out)

1. Short for let the cat out of the bag.
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let,‎ cat,‎ out.

   Every night I open the door and let the cat out before retiring to bed.

References

• John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary