{"id":6256,"date":"2017-10-09T09:00:59","date_gmt":"2017-10-09T13:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=6256"},"modified":"2017-10-06T13:44:13","modified_gmt":"2017-10-06T17:44:13","slug":"english-sayings-and-idioms-about-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/english-sayings-and-idioms-about-cats\/","title":{"rendered":"English Sayings and Idioms About Cats"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you a cat lover? Or maybe you&#8217;re more of a dog person? Whether cats or dogs, people love their pets. The English language also loves them, as there are tons of expressions about both. In this post, we&#8217;ll learn some English sayings and idioms about cats. Sorry, dog people. You&#8217;ll just have to wait for the next post.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6257\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0134.jpg\" aria-label=\"DSC 0134\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6257\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6257\"  alt=\"English Sayings and Idioms About Cats\" width=\"600\" height=\"403\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0134.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0134.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0134-350x235.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-6257\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Don&#8217;t let this cat out of the bag&#8230;<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>cat got your tongue<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: This is usually used in a question to someone who is silent but should be speaking.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;Why is your room so dirty?!&#8230; What&#8217;s the matter &#8211; <strong>cat got your tongue<\/strong>?&#8221; (Said by a parent to their child when they find the room is a mess.)<\/p>\n<h3>cool cat<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: Someone who is cool\/hip.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;You see that guy? He&#8217;s a real <strong>cool cat<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>fat cat<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: A negative way to describe someone who is rich\/powerful.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;I&#8217;m so sick of all the <strong>fat cats<\/strong> in my company.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6258\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0016.jpg\" aria-label=\"DSC 0016\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6258\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6258\"  alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"402\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0016.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0016.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0016-350x235.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-6258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Just a little cat nap.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>cat nap<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: To take a short rest; sleep for a short amount of time.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;Today was a long day. I need a <strong>cat nap<\/strong> before dinner.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>catcall<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: A shout, whistle, or comment. Usually from men to women in a sexual nature.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;I don&#8217;t like walking around the city alone, because men are always <strong>catcalling<\/strong> me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>a (crazy) cat lady<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: A woman &#8211; usually old and single &#8211; who lives with many cats.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;Your neighbor seems a bit strange.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yeah, she&#8217;s <strong>a crazy cat lady<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Crazy Cat Lady\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q2Xg7QUXiDA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>put the cat among the pigeons<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: Something bad will happen because of what someone said\/did. Think about what would happen if you really put a cat in a group of pigeons.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;You really <strong>put the cat among the pigeons<\/strong> when you started that argument.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>the cat&#8217;s meow\/pajamas<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: Someone or something that is very cool\/stylish\/impressive. This was very common slang in the 1920s but is still used to this day.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;He&#8217;s so stylish and such a good dancer. He really is <strong>the cat&#8217;s meow<\/strong>!&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>let the cat out of the bag<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: To tell a secret.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;He told Jane about her surprise party! I can&#8217;t believe he <strong>let the cat out of the bag<\/strong>!&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>herding cats<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: Trying to control a group that is uncontrollable.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;I&#8217;m sick of trying to plan this party. It&#8217;s like <strong>herding cats<\/strong> trying to get my friends together!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/PZ0ur5GKC0w\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/PZ0ur5GKC0w<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>to swing a (dead) cat<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: To suggest a place is small or that something is very near. Some people add &#8220;dead&#8221; to make it more outrageous.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;Her apartment is so small. There isn&#8217;t even room <strong>to swing a cat<\/strong>!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In my hometown (<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/great-american-cities-detroit\/\">Detroit<\/a>), we like to say &#8220;You can&#8217;t<strong> swing a dead cat<\/strong> and not hit a liquor store.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Curiosity killed the cat.<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: Being too curious\/asking too many questions can get you in trouble.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;You&#8217;d better stop asking her about it. You know <strong>curiosity killed the cat<\/strong>, don&#8217;t you?&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Look what the cat dragged in.<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: Usually said in a joking manner to someone who just arrived, this idiom denotes being dirty\/untidy.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;Well <strong>look what the cat dragged<\/strong> in!&#8221; (Said to a friend arriving at a party.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Look What The Cat Dragged In | Season 28 Ep. 21 | The Simpsons\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8mEIPm83WHE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>There&#8217;s more than one way to skin a cat.<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: There are multiple ways to do something.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;Don&#8217;t worry that it didn&#8217;t work. <strong>There&#8217;s more than one way to skin a cat<\/strong>, so let&#8217;s try something different tomorrow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>When the cat is away the mice will play.<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: When the boss\/teacher\/parents are away, people will misbehave.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;My students behaved so poorly with the substitute teacher yesterday!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You know what they say &#8211; <strong>when the cat is away, the mice will play<\/strong>!&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>It&#8217;s raining cats and dogs.<\/h3>\n<p><em>Meaning<\/em>: To be raining very heavily.<\/p>\n<p><em>Example<\/em>: &#8220;Wow look at it outside! <strong>It&#8217;s raining cats and dogs<\/strong>!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That last one was for all you dog people out there. Be sure you check back for the next post, as I&#8217;ll share plenty of English sayings and idioms about dogs just for you. For now, let&#8217;s end this post with the thing the Internet was created for &#8211; funny cat videos!<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/cbP2N1BQdYc\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/cbP2N1BQdYc<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"235\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0134-350x235.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"English Sayings and Idioms About Cats\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0134-350x235.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/10\/DSC_0134.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>Are you a cat lover? Or maybe you&#8217;re more of a dog person? Whether cats or dogs, people love their pets. The English language also loves them, as there are tons of expressions about both. In this post, we&#8217;ll learn some English sayings and idioms about cats. Sorry, dog people. You&#8217;ll just have to wait&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/english-sayings-and-idioms-about-cats\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":6257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,134956,135139,135370],"tags":[500883,500875,500871,500870,500874,254998,500877,445052,500869,500880,500866,500865,500884,500868,500879,306091,273887,500878,500873,500881,500882],"class_list":["post-6256","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-english-grammar","category-english-language","category-english-vocabulary","tag-cat-got-your-tongue","tag-cat-idioms","tag-cat-lady","tag-cat-nap","tag-cat-sayings","tag-cats-meow","tag-catcall","tag-cats","tag-cool-cat","tag-curiosity-killed-the-cat","tag-english-idioms-about-cats","tag-english-sayings-about-cats","tag-esl-lesson-cats","tag-fat-cat","tag-herding-cats","tag-let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag","tag-look-what-the-cat-dragged-in","tag-put-the-cat-among-the-pigeons","tag-raining-cats-and-dogs","tag-theres-more-than-one-way-to-skin-a-cat","tag-when-the-cat-is-away-the-mice-will-play"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6256"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6261,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6256\/revisions\/6261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}