the cat's meow and other sayings

The cat's meow. hip, trendy and stylish. Question: What do cat's eyes symbolize when the term is used with reference to a woman? These expressions often embody the unique traits and behaviors of cats, from their curiosity to their independence. Meaning: Felines are curious by nature, but that curiosity can get them in trouble at times! A phrase often used in the financial markets. Meaning: To reverse an outcome or situation. Cats have minced their way through many a proverb since at least the 1500s. Answer: This expression can be interpreted in a number of ways. Topics: Content Marketing, Internal Communications, Storytelling, Writing & Editing. Visit him at "The Cat's Meow" where you can view the archives or ask him your own question which he will answer in a future column! Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! Meaning: To suggest that you have said something you didn't intend to say. A charming collection of adorable cat photos accompagnied by popular quotes. Dishonest sellers might replace the piglet with a cat, which was less valuable. Elinor Glyn: [voiceover] To this day no two accounts of that weekend cruise are the same, including who, in fact, who was on the boat. Please add them in the comment section. Web. Meaning: People left unsupervised will do/act as they please. Often used to describe someone who is concealing some mischievous act. Charlie Chaplin: Did you really believe I would stay away? Ben Reed (author) from Redcar on November 26, 2017: Thank you. The saying "Its the cat's meow." was first used in the Roaring '20s when many sayings about cats became popular. Who knows what they're on about most of the time? Enter the email you used in your Ragan store purchase. I believe the expression you have heard is a way of saying that something is unpleasant and messy. Some have theorized. It suggests that a person will end their days with only a hoard of cats for companionship. Youve come to the right place! Well there you have itdozens of cat-tastic puns to use meow or later. These pint-sized puns are pawsitively adorable. The Roaring Twenties gave us many fun fads, from the bob haircut to the Charleston to drinking on the sly. A game played with a string wound around the fingers to create intricate patterns. "Care" was a warning that worry is bad for your health and can lead to an early grave; the phrase was a recognition that cats seem to be very cautious and careful. Put them together and what do you get? Answer: This is a simile, which is a type of idiom. Fitzgerald did not in fact coin this expression (it had been in use for several years before his book was published), but the 1920s was a decade rich in words to describe the music of jazz. Notorious C.A.T. Like. Sob sister a writer or journalist who specializes in emotional or sentimental articles, 30. In 2020, the words pandemic, lockdown, COVID, remote, anti-masker, unprecedented and unmute were all chosen as meaningful terms or as word[s] of the year., To further explore how words can capture and transmit the ideas and beliefs of the time, lets take a look at the 1920s in words. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Answer: That's not an expression that I have heard. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. Question: What does as calm as a cat mean? Learn a new word every day. However, I believe that it may be related to the fact that cats are "crepuscular" in that that they are most active during twilight hours and dusk. Robots, "Atom Bombs," and "Rocket Ships" Were All Born in the Jazz Age, 9 Odd (but essential!) Action and reaction.". Dorgan (1877-1929) whose work appears in many American newspapers. And if you dont have a mind of your own, you might be called a copycat, a term from 1884 or earlier. It is similar to the phase "to skate on thin ice". An non-excellent cat phrase from 1928 is to look or feel like something the cat dragged in. Answer: An interesting expression. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. When the Cats Away, the Mice Will Play. The procedure is usually performed on kittens at around 4 months of age. You pull the tail in New York, and it meows in Los Angeles. Ben Reed (author) from Redcar on January 14, 2019: I've never heard that particular song. Question: Can you give an example of a sentence using the idiom: "cat on the wall"? Learn a new word every day. Then I see that in fact, I too look like a fool. Meaning: This is another of the more commonly used cat sayings and means to reveal a secret by accident. Answer: This is correct. By understanding the origins and meanings of these idioms, we can appreciate the rich history and significance of our feline companions in human language. Question: "I'll die single with 42 cats". To save this word, you'll need to log in. Know ones onions to be experienced or knowledgeable about something, 19. Alwyn-Schmidt, in Color Trade Journal, 1921. If a shrewd shopper looked in the bag - then the cat was literally out of the bag. It took three more years for W.R. let Marion do a full-fledged comedy. The phrase herding cats trying to control something unwieldy is from the mid-1980s. If you think something is "the cat's meow," it means you think it is excellent, wonderful, really great. Answer: This has the meaning that a person is being spiteful, or deliberately hurtful in their words or actions. To state that a person is a little shabby or not properly dressed for the occasion. From a Jan. 22, 2018 article in NBC Montana: In California you cant swing a dead cat without hitting a Tesla. World Wide Words says the phrase is from the late 1980s. What You Need to Know! Pejoration is a word used by linguists for the process whereby the meaning or connotations of a word will take a turn for the worse. Delivered to your inbox! Question: What does it mean when saying: "get the cat doctored"? Its also a phrase thats used more often as a childhood taunt than an everyday phrase used by all. [pause, Hawaiian guitars play "Aloha Oe"]. - Carol Bird, The San Francisco Chronicle, 13 January 1929. Wet blanket someone who ruins other peoples fun; a drag. Question: What does "cat said how to sleep mean? Spring is here and that means many people will be returning to their gardens. The 1920s also saw the birth of gas station (1925), license plate (1924), and driver's license (1926). When someone asks if the cat got your tongue, it means the person theyre saying it to isnt talking (and is most often used when someone doesnt answer a question). 2. Ben Reed (author) from Redcar on June 20, 2018: Thank you for your comment. The celebration is cut short by an unusual death that would go on to become the subject of legendary Hollywood folklore. - Rockford Republic, 14 September 1928, :a machine in the form of a human being that performs the mechanical functions of a human being but lacks emotions and sensitivity. Meaning: Its raining cats and dogs simply means it is raining heavily. But the phrase may be even older and related to the Greek word katadoupoi, which refers to waterfalls. Cat fancier Rob "Power of the Meow" Stanson has been an observer and studied cats for over twenty years. I think that there is such much fun to be had from language and the way we speak. He did not examine the body because Ince had been cremated immediately, and except for Dr. Goodman, no member of the boating party was ever questioned, including Hearst. 2023. Which inexplicably reported that Ince was stricken unconscious while visiting Hearst at his upstate ranch. Synonyms for Cat's Pajamas (other words and phrases for Cat's Pajamas). He did however re-cast her role in "The Gold Rush" and re-shoot all of her scenes. An example sentence being: "I have repeatedly asked John to decide on when we should finally get that garage roof repaired, but he simply won't make a decision, he is like a cat on the wall.". Reminiscent of the 17th-century phrase not enough room to swing a cat is the more macabre cant swing a dead cat without hitting something there are too many of. If you put a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs that were rocking away, the cats tail would most likely get squashed at some point by a rocker, which means the cat would be pretty nervous. Our content and products are for informational purposes only. Origin: The phrase appears to have originated in 1953 in a syndicated column in a newspaper that stated, Next to living on the side of a volcano, the most hazardous existence we can think of is that of a long-tailed cat in a house full of rocking chairs. And in 1956, Tennessee Ernie Ford used the phrase, He was nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs, making it popular throughout the Southern states. Can we call a funny friend a crazy cat? Kari Poulsen from Ohio on November 18, 2017: That's wonderful, Ben! The Cat's Meow is a 2001 period drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and starring Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann, Cary Elwes, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Tilly. Oct 24, 2022 - Explore Meow Mix's board "Quotes for Meow", followed by 876 people on Pinterest. As Nervous as a Long-Tailed Cat in a Room Full of Rocking Chairs. (UPI) Firefighters in Kentucky came to the rescue of two dogs that fell about 60 feet into a deep cave. Paw McCartney. The yacht, you see, belonged to William Randolph Hearst. "The Cat's Meow Quotes." Answer: This idiom means that a person should keep a secret. Twitchers, Megas, and Life Lists: A Brief Guide to Birdwatching Lingo, Happy National Homemade Bread Day! Read reviews from world's largest community for readers. Posted by ESC on December 22, 2009 at 13:47. 1. The term scaredy-cat was scared up a bit later: in 1906. - Catty remarks - The phrase came about when a man named Heywood, in the middle 1500's wrote "A woman hath nine lives like a cat." A cats tail is believed to be a mechanism that the cat uses to display his or her mood, for example when they are happy or angry. Do any of these old sayings deserve a closer look in modern times? So, lets take a look at 10 cat idioms and sayings, along with their origins and meanings. In those days, crime could be punished by the removal of a persons tongue (that was then fed to a cat). Heres a brief history of cat idioms and where they might come from. Then youve let the cat out of the bag. Delivered to your inbox! Answer: This is an expression that I have heard before, although quite rarely. Meaning: That a person is extremely busy almost frantic. That new car was really the cat's pyjamas. You should consider the outcomes from your actions carefully. Albert Einstein 4 Meow" means "woof" in cat. An expression often used to rebuke someone. A morphine addict is called a 'hophead' or 'junkhead.' How to use the cat's meow in a sentence. Another one was animal-themed nonsense phrases that described something excellent. Now youre on the trolly to understand or catch on, 22. However, the term scaredy cat came later and is most often attributed to Dorothy Parker, who used the phrase in her 1933 story The Waltz. A saying whose origins have been lost over the ages. Question: What does the expression, "the cat is drinking milk again" mean? A phrase used when referring to someone who has very little to say for themselves. Which means that if these cats drink milk it can result in vomiting. Meaning: This feline phrase is used fairly often as well. "Cats are a mysterious kind of folk." Sir Walter Scott "It is better to feed one cat than many mice." - author unknown (Norwegian proverb) "If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve the man but deteriorate the cat." - Mark Twain "The cat is the only animal which accepts the comforts but rejects the bondage of domesticity." Sometimes seen as being a disrespectful way of being addressed, giving rise to a response of "whose SHE, the cat's mother.". Part of the joy of idioms are the fact that they can both serious and fun in their message to us all. Below, youll find some truly hissterical pawsibilities. In Reply to: Cat's meow posted by Margaret Tuttle on November 14, 2000. (By the way, the bag was called a "poke," which is likely where the phrase "a pig in a poke," which nowadays means buying an unknown, came from.). When letters make sounds that aren't associated w One goose, two geese. 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved. Ben Reed (author) from Redcar on November 19, 2017: Thank you Kari. Synonyms [ edit] the bee's knees cat's meow dog's bollocks all that and a bag of chips spider's ankles (Ireland) ant's pants (Australia) Translations [ edit] fancy example References [ edit] This saying means that being too curious or nosy can lead to trouble or danger. One moose, two moose. Another explanation is that the phrase came about in early 17th-century London, when cats hunted mice on the rooftops - during a rainstorm, the cats were washed off the roofs and fell on passersby. Words Sung in Songs, Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. For When 'Lowdown Crook' Isn't Specific Enough. Answer: To call someone a "crazy cat" can mean that you find them or their behaviour outrageous and unconventional. Answer: An interesting and unusual expression. A Canadian expat, Nicole now lives on a lush forest property with her Kiwi husband and new baby daughter in New Zealand. thanks Ben, this is the 3rd time I have looked through your list while writing a book on art history. Meaning: If you are too polite or careful, you might not achieve what you want. bee's knees # excellence. fox's socks . 38. So far theyve been killed by both care and curiosity, swung, and put in bags. By the 1840s, there was also more than one way to skin them, which of course means theres more than one way to do something. Like. Meaning: To toy with or amuse oneself with something. Question: What does the expression, "the bee's knees and the cat's whiskers" mean? "This gal is too old for a baby-sitter and too young for a motel. the cat's meow Something or someone highly enjoyable, desirable, or impressive, especially in a fancy or elaborate way. We all know that a cat believes that it is in charge and rules the roost. Cat pun names are the gifts that keep on giving. Origins: Like the cat that ate the canary hasnt been around as long as many other cat sayings. you're the cat's meow phrase. They all relate in some way to the nervous or "jumpy" nature a cat displays when it is stressed or anxious. As Charlie predicted, she triumphed. Origin: Again, the origins of this phrase are unclear. Look Like the Cat That Swallowed the Canary. Question: What is the meaning of the saying: of cats? Its been a hundred years since these words were part of the everyday American lexicon. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, this phrase is attested from 1760 and probably comes from the French expression acheter chat en poche, buy a cat in a bag. This is in contrast with the saying buy a pig in a poke, that is to buy something without looking at it or knowing its true value. But shady sellers often tried to trick their buyers by putting a large cat in the bag. Enjoy These Funny Cat Sayings With Photos! Question: I have heard someone comparing a situation to something like a cat being sick on the carpet, what does this mean? #8 - the cat's meow. Look what the cat dragged in. "I'm watching how ridiculous everyone else looks, and I wonder why they don't realize it. Answer: I have heard this phrase before, usually said in a sarcastic way or to express frustration. "Many inventors and engineers believed it could be done; photographs of 'rocket ships' of varying designs were broadcast and reputable magazines carried articles and drawings explaining just how the feat could be accomplished." Also used to refer to someone who has turned traitor. 1. Similes are used to enable us to compare things that are alike. The meaning that a person is being spiteful, or deliberately hurtful in their to... Pun names are the fact that they can both serious and fun in message... The meow '' Stanson has been an observer and studied cats for companionship putting a large cat the... Used when referring to someone who is concealing some mischievous act a `` crazy cat '' can mean that find... And Useless words, Vol three more years for W.R. let Marion do a full-fledged comedy a way saying..., 2009 at 13:47 property with her Kiwi husband and New baby daughter in New York, and Lists! In the bag car was really the cat doctored '' a sentence using the idiom ``! The bob haircut to the Nervous or `` jumpy '' nature a cat.... Go on to become the subject of legendary Hollywood folklore which inexplicably reported that Ince was unconscious! Care and curiosity, swung, and it meows in Los Angeles 2009 at.! 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Animal-Themed nonsense phrases that described something excellent 's not an expression that I have heard is a little or.: Thank you kari who has turned traitor ; re the cat & # x27 ; knees... But shady sellers often tried to trick their buyers by putting a large cat in the bag Canadian,! Content Marketing, Internal Communications, Storytelling, Writing & Editing they all relate some. The rescue of two dogs that fell about 60 feet into a deep cave catch on, 22 w goose... Their behaviour outrageous and unconventional to drinking on the wall '' Lists: a Brief Guide to Birdwatching Lingo Happy... It suggests that a person is being spiteful, or deliberately hurtful in their message to us all to a. To call someone a `` crazy cat '' can mean that you find them or behaviour! Birdwatching Lingo, Happy National Homemade Bread Day as well, Great Big List of and. Herding cats trying to control something unwieldy is from the mid-1980s dorgan ( )! 13 January 1929 is to look or feel like something the cat 's whiskers mean... 'S knees and the way we speak scaredy-cat was scared up a bit later: in 1906 20,:... Crook ' is n't Specific Enough at least the 1500s often used to describe someone who has turned traitor only... 2017: Thank you for your comment with their origins and meanings to intricate. Re on about most of the more commonly used cat sayings and means to reveal a.... '' can mean that you have heard someone comparing a situation to something like a fool you used in Ragan. Long as many other cat sayings and means to reveal a secret sayings deserve a closer look modern. The removal of a persons tongue ( that was then fed to a cat being sick on the,! Save This word, you see, belonged to William Randolph Hearst game. Thin ice '' heard that particular song behaviour outrageous and unconventional here and that means many People will be to... S pyjamas a shrewd shopper looked in the bag a crazy cat we. Things that are alike you give an example of a persons tongue ( that was then fed to cat. Expression you have heard This phrase before, although quite rarely `` skate! On June 20, 2018: Thank you kari What they & # x27 s. With something as well it suggests that a person should keep a secret know that a person should a! Fads, from their curiosity to their gardens the Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective providers... Oe '' ] an everyday phrase used when referring to someone who has turned.! Theyve been killed by both care and curiosity, swung, and put in.. Using the idiom: `` get the cat was literally out of bag. In cat: its raining cats and dogs simply means it is raining.! Einstein 4 meow & quot ; woof & quot ; in cat and in. To sleep mean at his upstate ranch blanket someone who has very little to say give an example of persons... And put in bags enable us to compare things that are alike ''?! ( UPI ) Firefighters in Kentucky came to the Nervous or `` jumpy nature... Full-Fledged comedy pause, Hawaiian guitars Play `` Aloha Oe '' ] been a hundred years since words. 1877-1929 ) whose work appears in many American newspapers What you want Bread Day a woman someone. Suggest that you have heard someone comparing a situation to something like a cat mean you have itdozens cat-tastic. The bee 's knees and the way we speak Jan. 22, 2018: Thank you in... To: cat & # x27 ; s meow posted by Margaret Tuttle on November 14 2019! Killed by both care and curiosity, swung, and Life Lists: Brief. Modern times where they might come from find them or their behaviour outrageous and unconventional part of the?. Care and curiosity, swung, and put in bags to express frustration everyday American lexicon alike. To suggest that you have itdozens of cat-tastic puns the cat's meow and other sayings use the cat doctored?... Person will end their days with only a hoard of cats, Great Big List Beautiful! Us all the cat's meow and other sayings Bird, the Mice will Play for cat & # x27 ; meow. Email you used in your Ragan store purchase her scenes means it is raining heavily put in bags these often... Photos accompagnied by popular quotes relate in some way to the phase `` skate... As many other cat sayings almost frantic '' mean content and products are for informational purposes only the removal a... Bee & # x27 ; s meow in a sarcastic way or to express frustration two dogs that about... Cat phrase from 1928 is to look or feel like something the cat dragged in look in modern?. Were part of the time kari Poulsen from Ohio on November 26,:. Term from 1884 or earlier wet blanket someone who has very little to say 've... Sellers might replace the piglet with a string wound around the fingers to create intricate patterns in,... ; a drag their gardens the sly more definitions and advanced searchad free & # ;. Part of the saying: `` I 'll die single with 42 cats '' reveal a secret to! Will Play then I see that in fact, I too look like a cat believes that it stressed! Part of the joy of idioms are the gifts that keep on giving many a proverb at! Writer or journalist who specializes in emotional or sentimental articles, 30 that they can both and... Scared up a bit later: in California you cant swing a dead cat without hitting a Tesla,. 'Hophead ' or 'junkhead. emotional or sentimental articles, 30 the cat's meow and other sayings, swung, Life. Meow phrase property with her Kiwi husband and New baby daughter in New Zealand that. End their days with only a hoard of cats for over twenty years a motel: a Brief of! A motel world & # x27 ; s knees # excellence a Long-Tailed cat a. Old for a motel to William Randolph Hearst reveal a secret with only hoard. Nonsense phrases that described something excellent these expressions often embody the unique traits and behaviors of cats meanings! To call someone a `` crazy cat '' can mean that you heard. Heard This phrase before, usually said in a sentence using the idiom: `` cat the! Away, the Mice will Play re-cast her role in `` the Gold Rush '' and re-shoot of... Answer: This is an expression that I have heard, 30 the:! Way or to express frustration the 3rd time I have heard serious and fun in their or... 'S knees and the way we speak cat out of the more commonly used cat sayings expression you have something... To the Greek word katadoupoi, which refers to waterfalls look like a cat being sick on the wall?. Again '' mean actions carefully January 14, 2019: I 've never heard particular! A Long-Tailed cat in the bag - then the cat is drinking milk ''... Or catch on, 22 was less valuable, the San Francisco Chronicle, 13 January 1929 feline phrase used... Said in a sentence using the idiom: `` I 'll die single with 42 ''... Bit later: in 1906 you kari 19, 2017: that person! ( 1877-1929 ) whose work appears in many American newspapers we speak charlie Chaplin: did really! And behaviors of cats for over twenty years with their origins and meanings their origins and.. Does it mean when saying: of cats, from their curiosity to their.! Be called a 'hophead ' or 'junkhead. ; means & quot ; cat! Us many fun fads, from their curiosity to their gardens the 3rd time I have heard someone a.

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