There is a fairly common expression in Swedish and/or Norwegian -- Jag anar ugglor i mossen -- which translates "I sense owls in the moss." It means that something feels wrong, that one suspects skullduggery or that there is a scent of nefarity in the air.

1. Has this expression ever found its way in English?

2. Given that most odd-sounding expression had a rational basis when they were coined, what do you suppose this one might be?