чует кошка, чье мясо съела

• ЗНАЕТ <ЧУЕТ> КОШКА, ЧЬЕ МЯСО СЪЕЛ A

[saying]

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⇒ a person knows that he is guilty (said of a person whose behavior suggests that he is aware of his wrongdoing):

- ≈ that's your (his etc) guilty conscience speaking;

- he (she etc) knows who he (she etc) wronged;

- he (she etc) knows what he (she etc) did (wrong);

- [in questions] a guilty conscience, eh?

     ♦ "А ты, - Семён направил тяжёлый взгляд на Митягина, - крой [ = иди] в Пожнёвку. Сообщи бригадиру Михайле о сыне [о том, что его сына убили]..." ...Митягин сжался. "Ты сам, Семён, сходи... Не могу... - попросил он угасшим голосом. - Не неволь, как же к человеку с эдаким..." Семён взял Митягина за плечо, сурово вгляделся в него. "Иль чует кошка, чье мясо съела?" - "Да ведь я не один стрелял..." - "Двое стреляли. Один медведя свалил [ = убил], другой человека. И сдается [substand = кажется] мне: ты с ружьём-то похуже справляешься" (Тендряков 1). "And you," Simon looked somberly at Mityagin, "go to Pozhnevka. Tell Mikhailo Lyskov what's happened to his son [that he has been killed]."...Mityagin seemed to cringe. "You go, Simon, I can't," he said in a faint voice. "I can't do it, how can I go to a man and tell him..." Simon put a hand on Mityagin's shoulder and looked sternly into his face. "A guilty conscience, eh?" "But I wasn't the only one to shoot." "There were two shots. One hit the bear and the other this boy. And the way I reckon: you are not so handy with a gun..." (1a).