To be the cat’s whiskers or the cat’s pyjamas means to be an excellent person or thing. That person may look like the cat that got the cream, very self-satisfied.
However, a cat on a hot tin roof is very agitated. The proverb a cat may look at a king means even a person of low status has rights.
The difficulty with organising a group of people is referred to as herding cats – cats have never taken kindly to being herded. If you’re looking dirty and dishevelled, you might look like something the cat brought in, referring to a cat’s habit of bringing half-dead rats into the house.
Cat expressions figure in other languages too. Portuguese people say, “He who doesn’t have a dog hunts with a cat” meaning ‘make the most of what you have’. In Spain, a cat with gloves on catches no mice means nice guys finish last’. When asked to do something you don’t have time to do, a French speaker might say, “I have other cats to whip”.
In Japan, to wear a cat on your head means ‘to hide your claws and pretend to be a nice, harmless person’. If you’re willing to borrow a cat’s paws, it means you are so busy you’ll take help from anyone. A cat’s forehead means a tiny space, which reminds me of our expression for a small area – you can’t swing a cat in here.
A cat-o’-nine-tails was a whip with nine lashes used until 1948 for punishing offenders. A child who doesn’t want to speak is sometimes asked by an annoying adult, “Has the cat got your tongue?” This may relate back to the recipient of a cat-o’-nine-tails, who would be suffering so badly he wouldn’t be talking much.
According to humanitarian Dr Albert Schweitzer, “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.”
Happy Puzzling!
