In the news at the moment there is a plethora of cat analogies to describe the trials and tribulations of Boris Johnson, the UK’s former prime minister who recently resigned due to a cascade of criticism over his inability to … continue reading…
What the hell does a “dead cat strategy” mean? I don’t like the phrase already even though immediately before writing this I had no idea what it meant. I think it is disrespectful and I think it is incorrect to … continue reading…
This post is all about the origin of the old and rarely used saying, “raining cats and dogs” plus its meaning. So, for people whose first language is not English, this phrase means “it is raining hard” or ” it … continue reading…
Here are 4 facts about calling female cats ‘queens’. I think that there is a misconception by quite a large number of people about how this description came about and is used. Why is a female cat called a queen? … continue reading…
This is a page on the origin and history of the saying “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. I am very thankful to a French citizen, who speaks and writes English better than many Brits, Pascal Tréguer, who completed a … continue reading…
The origins of are quite difficult to trace actually and I am not sure I have the answer but here goes. I have included the answers of other people as well for comparison. It is not unusual for the origin … continue reading…
Here is complete list of ‘cat quotes’ and some comment too. There are many, which is a testament to our interest in and love of the domestic cat. There are some more articles on ‘cat quotes’ as I have called … continue reading…
I am seeing the saying “flat cats” a lot nowadays. Just this morning it was used as follows, in a headline for The Mirror in the UK: “Fury as NHS staff lose out in pension changes – while fat cats … continue reading…
It seems that “scaredy-cat” first appeared in print as “fraidie-cat” (fraidy-cat). The two sayings having very similar meanings. And they’re both based on the fact that domestic cats are often frightened of strangers. A person is described as a scaredy-cat … continue reading…
The idiom “a cat’s paw” means a person or persons (or even a country) that is being used by another to achieve an objective and especially if that objective is being achieved in a cynical or duplicitous manner. It’s interesting … continue reading…
Of course they don’t. It’s just a saying based on the fact that cats are very good at surviving because of their sharp senses and agility. Cats are also good at getting into trouble because of their inquisitiveness so they … continue reading…
The “cat” in “fat cat” is there because the saying rhymes and because “dog” does not conjure up the required image in one’s imagination.
continue reading...Ben Jonson is in the news today! On this day, 22nd September, in 1598, the English playwright Ben Jonson was charged with the killing of an actor in a duel. He was acquitted after reciting a Bible verse. He shot … continue reading…
The 18th-century phrase “he let the cat out of the bag” was used very recently by Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers in their efforts to convince a judge to block the release of documents which contained “intimate, sensitive and personal” information about … continue reading…
Cats don’t have nine lives and neither do dogs. Obviously they both have one life unless you believe in and include the afterlife or reincarnation which I am not doing here. “A cat has nine lives’ is simply a saying … continue reading…
