cat
cat the cat has been traditionally associated with witchcraft, and in Christian art a cat may be shown in a picture as emblematic of sinful human nature; cat may also be used informally for a malicious or spiteful woman.
In ancient Egypt, cats were regarded as sacred animals; the goddess Bastet is shown with a cat's head.
all cats are grey in the dark the night obscures all distinguishing features; saying recorded from the mid 16th century, and used in a variety of contexts.
Cat and Mouse Act an informal name for the 1913 act passed, during the suffragette campaign, to allow for the temporary release of prisoners on hunger strike and their subsequent rearrest.
a cat in gloves catches no mice restraint and caution (or ‘pussyfooting’) achieve nothing. Recorded from the late 16th century; a similar 14th-century French saying runs, ‘a gloved cat will never mouse well.’
a cat may look at a king even someone in a lowly position has a right to observe a person of power and influence. Proverbial expression recorded from the mid 16th century.
cat o' nine tails a rope whip with nine knotted cords, formerly used (especially at sea) to flog offenders.
cat's cradle a child's game in which a loop of string is put around and between the fingers and complex patterns are formed.
cat's paw a person who is used by another, typically to carry out an unpleasant or dangerous task, and originally with allusion to the fable of a monkey which asked a cat to extract its roasted chestnuts from the fire.
the cat, the rat, and Lovell our dog, rule all England under the hog hostile rhyme describing the rule of Richard III, whose personal emblem was a White Boar, and his three favourites, William Catesby (‘the cat’), Richard Ratcliffe (‘the rat’), and Lord Lovell, whose crest was a dog; the rhyme is recorded from the early 16th century in Robert Fabyan's Chronicles, and is attributed to the English landowner and conspirator against Richard, William Collingbourne (d. 1484).
the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet commenting on a situation in which desire for something is checked by unwillingness to risk discomfort in acquiring it. Recorded from the early 13th century; a similar saying is recorded in medieval Latin.
let the cat out of the bag reveal a secret, especially carelessly or by mistake. Recorded from the mid 18th century.
put the cat among the pigeons stir up trouble; the expression is recorded from the early 18th century, and the idea of the destructive potential of a cat inside a pigeon-loft is explained as standing for a man getting among women.
when the cat's away the mice will play many will take advantage of a situation in which rules are not enforced or authority is lacking. Saying recorded from the early 17th century; similar sayings are found earlier, as in the 14th-century French proverb, ‘where there is no cat, the rat is king.’
See also bell the cat, care killed the cat, curiosity killed the cat, fat cat, have no room to swing a cat.
In ancient Egypt, cats were regarded as sacred animals; the goddess Bastet is shown with a cat's head.
all cats are grey in the dark the night obscures all distinguishing features; saying recorded from the mid 16th century, and used in a variety of contexts.
Cat and Mouse Act an informal name for the 1913 act passed, during the suffragette campaign, to allow for the temporary release of prisoners on hunger strike and their subsequent rearrest.
a cat in gloves catches no mice restraint and caution (or ‘pussyfooting’) achieve nothing. Recorded from the late 16th century; a similar 14th-century French saying runs, ‘a gloved cat will never mouse well.’
a cat may look at a king even someone in a lowly position has a right to observe a person of power and influence. Proverbial expression recorded from the mid 16th century.
cat o' nine tails a rope whip with nine knotted cords, formerly used (especially at sea) to flog offenders.
cat's cradle a child's game in which a loop of string is put around and between the fingers and complex patterns are formed.
cat's paw a person who is used by another, typically to carry out an unpleasant or dangerous task, and originally with allusion to the fable of a monkey which asked a cat to extract its roasted chestnuts from the fire.
the cat, the rat, and Lovell our dog, rule all England under the hog hostile rhyme describing the rule of Richard III, whose personal emblem was a White Boar, and his three favourites, William Catesby (‘the cat’), Richard Ratcliffe (‘the rat’), and Lord Lovell, whose crest was a dog; the rhyme is recorded from the early 16th century in Robert Fabyan's Chronicles, and is attributed to the English landowner and conspirator against Richard, William Collingbourne (d. 1484).
the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet commenting on a situation in which desire for something is checked by unwillingness to risk discomfort in acquiring it. Recorded from the early 13th century; a similar saying is recorded in medieval Latin.
let the cat out of the bag reveal a secret, especially carelessly or by mistake. Recorded from the mid 18th century.
put the cat among the pigeons stir up trouble; the expression is recorded from the early 18th century, and the idea of the destructive potential of a cat inside a pigeon-loft is explained as standing for a man getting among women.
when the cat's away the mice will play many will take advantage of a situation in which rules are not enforced or authority is lacking. Saying recorded from the early 17th century; similar sayings are found earlier, as in the 14th-century French proverb, ‘where there is no cat, the rat is king.’
See also bell the cat, care killed the cat, curiosity killed the cat, fat cat, have no room to swing a cat.
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