--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: RATS-IN-A-POKE!" description: "\"“RATS-IN-A-POKE!”\" — Jan Karon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jan-karon-2637_poke_rats-in-a-poke-1190241_1190241.png" --- # RATS-IN-A-POKE! ![“RATS-IN-A-POKE!” quote by Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jan-karon-2637_poke_rats-in-a-poke-1190241_1190241.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jan-karon-2637_poke_rats-in-a-poke-1190241_1190241.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jan-karon-2637_poke_rats-in-a-poke-1190241_1190241.png) > ““RATS-IN-A-POKE!”” [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous exclamation expressing surprise or alarm at a sudden, unexpected event. **In simple terms:** Surprise at a sudden event. Key Takeaway Stay alert to unexpected moments. Themes humor surprise everyness Mood amused lighthearted Type exclamation humorous When to use this quote - social gatherings - unexpected news - practical jokes Key Concepts exclamation shock Questions to Reflect On - When did you last feel startled? - How do you react to sudden surprises? A Different Perspective Humor may downplay serious concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“The mother was holding a baby, had a stroller with what looked like twin girls around three, and had a five-year-old boy who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/the-mother-was-holding-a-baby-had-a-stroller-with-what-looked-like/) [Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/) > [If there is aught of good in the style, it is the result of ceaseless toil in rewriting. Everything comes out wrong with me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/if-there-is-aught-of-good-in-the-style-it-is-the-result-of-ceaseless/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In bringing the subject of religious oppression to a wider audience, I didn't just want to kick the Catholic Church but to poke a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mullan/in-bringing-the-subject-of-religious-oppression-to-a-wider-audience-i/) [Peter Mullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mullan/) > [When my wife and I met, I couldn't talk to her - and my defense mechanism is sarcasm. I belittle someone with verbal pokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-vogel/when-my-wife-and-i-met-i-couldn-t-talk-to-her-and-my-defense/) [Mike Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-vogel/) > [I think people are tired of politicians trying to poke each other in the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-warner/i-think-people-are-tired-of-politicians-trying-to-poke-each-other-in/) [Mark Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-warner/) > [You can poke fun at some pretty difficult circumstances, and it's just a way to pop the bubble. I don't do that thing onstage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-regan/you-can-poke-fun-at-some-pretty-difficult-circumstances-and-it-s-just/) [Brian Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-regan/) > [“Dangerous? Do you remember what Xavier's power is? Teleportation. Limited Teleportation, They guy can move about 10 feet. Worst thing he could do to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/dangerous-do-you-remember-what-xavier-s-power-is-teleportation/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [When you are relaxed about where you are at in life, things tend to flow more fluidly. It is as if you poke three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-o-neill/when-you-are-relaxed-about-where-you-are-at-in-life-things-tend-to/) [Jennifer O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-o-neill/) > [I am standing here in the shed, and I'm waiting to see if my seeds are going to poke out ofthe dirt. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-am-standing-here-in-the-shed-and-i-m-waiting-to-see-if-my-seeds-are/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [A man who wouldn't cheat for a poke don't want one bad enough. --Augustus "Gus" McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/a-man-who-wouldn-t-cheat-for-a-poke-don-t-want-one-bad-enough/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Aw, Poke, you poor, kind, decent, stupid girl. You saved me and I let you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/aw-poke-you-poor-kind-decent-stupid-girl-you-saved-me-and-i-let-you/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The Poke option is okay, but when is Facebook going to come out with a Punch option?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/the-poke-option-is-okay-but-when-is-facebook-going-to-come-out-with-a/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [For any actor to have Oliver Stone call him or her up It’s a compliment. He expects you to be on your toes. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/for-any-actor-to-have-oliver-stone-call-him-or-her-up-it-s-a/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [I never, ever see myself as a celebrity or famous, so I poke fun at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendra-wilkinson/i-never-ever-see-myself-as-a-celebrity-or-famous-so-i-poke-fun-at-that/) [Kendra Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendra-wilkinson/) > [Someone once said that "The Waste Land" was a scum of poetry floating on a sea of footnotes. That resonated with me, because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/someone-once-said-that-the-waste-land-was-a-scum-of-poetry-floating/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) ## More by Jan Karon > [“In every way, un-forgiveness makes us the victim—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/in-every-way-un-forgiveness-makes-us-the-victim/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [In Ireland there’s no such thing as bad weather ~~~ only the wrong clothes. (In the Company of Others)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/in-ireland-there-s-no-such-thing-as-bad-weather-only-the-wrong/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Sorrow and joy, he thought, so inextricably entwined that he could scarcely tell where one left off and the other began.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/sorrow-and-joy-he-thought-so-inextricably-entwined-that-he-could/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Maybe the best way to honor the deceased was to laugh with the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/maybe-the-best-way-to-honor-the-deceased-was-to-laugh-with-the-living/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [Paul said in the second epistle...the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine...they will accumulate for themselves teachers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/paul-said-in-the-second-epistle-the-time-is-coming-when-people-will/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [This is a gift that God has given me. I'm not smart enough to write for everybody, but it's the love in these books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/this-is-a-gift-that-god-has-given-me-i-m-not-smart-enough-to-write/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [Publishing is, by its nature, about deadlines, and deadlines are toxic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/publishing-is-by-its-nature-about-deadlines-and-deadlines-are-toxic/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [The firefly only shines when on the wing, So it is with us--when we stop, we darken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/the-firefly-only-shines-when-on-the-wing-so-it-is-with-us-when-we/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Thank you, God, for second chances,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/thank-you-god-for-second-chances/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Fear is one of the Enemy’s deadliest strategies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/fear-is-one-of-the-enemy-s-deadliest-strategies/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“For one thing, telling a lie is like eating peanuts. One leads to another. In no time at all, you’ve gone through a bagful.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/for-one-thing-telling-a-lie-is-like-eating-peanuts-one-leads-to/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“And so I enjoyed the warm feelings, the stuff of the heart, when it was present between us, as it sometimes was, even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/and-so-i-enjoyed-the-warm-feelings-the-stuff-of-the-heart-when-it-was/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“One of the things that makes a dead leaf fall to the ground is the bud of the new leaf that pushes it off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/one-of-the-things-that-makes-a-dead-leaf-fall-to-the-ground-is-the/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“He’d been amped for a long time; actually, everybody he knew was amped. He would like to spend the rest of his life de-amping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/he-d-been-amped-for-a-long-time-actually-everybody-he-knew-was-amped/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“All people are children when they sleep. There’s no war in them then . . . They . . . open their hands halfway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/all-people-are-children-when-they-sleep-there-s-no-war-in-them-then/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) [Explore all 156 Jan Karon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) ## More Poke quotes > [“The mother was holding a baby, had a stroller with what looked like twin girls around three, and had a five-year-old boy who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/the-mother-was-holding-a-baby-had-a-stroller-with-what-looked-like/) [Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/) > [I never, ever see myself as a celebrity or famous, so I poke fun at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendra-wilkinson/i-never-ever-see-myself-as-a-celebrity-or-famous-so-i-poke-fun-at-that/) [Kendra Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendra-wilkinson/) > [For any actor to have Oliver Stone call him or her up It’s a compliment. He expects you to be on your toes. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/for-any-actor-to-have-oliver-stone-call-him-or-her-up-it-s-a/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [The Poke option is okay, but when is Facebook going to come out with a Punch option?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/the-poke-option-is-okay-but-when-is-facebook-going-to-come-out-with-a/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [Aw, Poke, you poor, kind, decent, stupid girl. You saved me and I let you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/aw-poke-you-poor-kind-decent-stupid-girl-you-saved-me-and-i-let-you/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [A man who wouldn't cheat for a poke don't want one bad enough. --Augustus "Gus" McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/a-man-who-wouldn-t-cheat-for-a-poke-don-t-want-one-bad-enough/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [I am standing here in the shed, and I'm waiting to see if my seeds are going to poke out ofthe dirt. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-am-standing-here-in-the-shed-and-i-m-waiting-to-see-if-my-seeds-are/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [When you are relaxed about where you are at in life, things tend to flow more fluidly. It is as if you poke three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-o-neill/when-you-are-relaxed-about-where-you-are-at-in-life-things-tend-to/) [Jennifer O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-o-neill/) > [“Dangerous? Do you remember what Xavier's power is? Teleportation. Limited Teleportation, They guy can move about 10 feet. Worst thing he could do to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/dangerous-do-you-remember-what-xavier-s-power-is-teleportation/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [You can poke fun at some pretty difficult circumstances, and it's just a way to pop the bubble. I don't do that thing onstage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-regan/you-can-poke-fun-at-some-pretty-difficult-circumstances-and-it-s-just/) [Brian Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-regan/) > [I think people are tired of politicians trying to poke each other in the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-warner/i-think-people-are-tired-of-politicians-trying-to-poke-each-other-in/) [Mark Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-warner/) > [When my wife and I met, I couldn't talk to her - and my defense mechanism is sarcasm. I belittle someone with verbal pokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-vogel/when-my-wife-and-i-met-i-couldn-t-talk-to-her-and-my-defense/) [Mike Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-vogel/) > [In bringing the subject of religious oppression to a wider audience, I didn't just want to kick the Catholic Church but to poke a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mullan/in-bringing-the-subject-of-religious-oppression-to-a-wider-audience-i/) [Peter Mullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mullan/) > [If there is aught of good in the style, it is the result of ceaseless toil in rewriting. Everything comes out wrong with me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/if-there-is-aught-of-good-in-the-style-it-is-the-result-of-ceaseless/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Someone once said that "The Waste Land" was a scum of poetry floating on a sea of footnotes. That resonated with me, because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/someone-once-said-that-the-waste-land-was-a-scum-of-poetry-floating/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) Browse all 190 Poke quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“RATS-IN-A-POKE!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jan Karon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/rats-in-a-poke/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Poke" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/rats-in-a-poke/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jan-karon-2637_poke_rats-in-a-poke-1190241_1190241.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jan-karon-2637_poke_rats-in-a-poke-1190241_1190241.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/jan-karon-2637_poke_rats-in-a-poke-1190241_1190241.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“RATS-IN-A-POKE!” — Jan Karon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jan Karon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“RATS-IN-A-POKE!”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/rats-in-a-poke/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/rats-in-a-poke/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```