- BEN REED
- JAN 15, 2023 4:31 AM EST
Fifty Cat Related Idioms and Phrases
We use idioms every day, often without even realizing it. They create an evocative image that helps us describe a situation we are discussing. Yet, as with all idiomatic expressions, you can’t necessarily understand the phrase purely from the words used. This article focuses on fifty cat-related idioms. I hope that you will find them interesting as well as fun.
Feline Idioms 1 to 5
1. A Cat Nap
Meaning: to sleep or doze for a short time.
2. Cat Burglar
Definition: Refers to a burglar who uses stealth and agility to break into buildings. The first recorded use of this idiomatic expression was between 1905 – 1910.
3. A Cat in Gloves Catches no Mice
Meaning: If you are too polite or careful, you might not achieve what you want.
4. A Cat May Look at a King
Sense: A person of low social standing still has rights. That minimal human rights apply.
5. All Cats are Grey at Night
Meaning: In the dark, physical attributes are unimportant. Believed to have been first used by Benjamin Franklin.
Cat Idioms 6 to 10
6. A Copy Cat
This idiom references a person who copies or imitates the actions of another.
7. A Scaredy-cat
Said about someone who is very scared or easily frightened.
8. As Conceited as a Barbers Cat
Meaning: Someone who has a high opinion of themselves or their importance.
9. As Nervous as a Cat in a Room Full of Rocking Chairs
Meaning: that a person is very nervous or jumpy. Believed to refer to the idea that cats are worried about having their tails trapped under a rocking chair.
10. Busier Than a One-eyed Cat Watching Two Mouse Holes
Meaning: That a person is extremely busy – almost frantic.
More Cat Idioms 11 to 15
11. Busier Than a Three-legged Cat in a Dry Sandbox
Meaning: Hectic to the point of being frantic
12. Cool Cat
A phrase used to describe a fashionable person. Also, when talking about someone who is very calm or slow to anger.
13. Cat’s Cradle
This expression refers to something overly complicated. Likened to the children’s game “cat’s cradle.” A game played with a string wound around the fingers to create intricate patterns.
14. Cat’s Meow
Something outstanding or excellent.
15. Curiosity Killed the Cat
Meaning: That you should take care to look into something too profoundly. You might find something that disturbs you. You should not be curious; you may find something you don’t want to know.
Cat Expressions Numbers 16 to 20
16. Dead Cat Bounce
A phrase often used in the financial markets. This statement refers to an automatic recovery of the financial market.
17. Dog My Cats
An expression of astonishment.
18. Enough to Make a Cat Laugh
Meaning: That something is very, very funny.
19. Fat Cat
A derogatory term describes a person who has acted dishonorably to achieve wealth.
20. Fight Like Cats and Dogs
To be continually fighting or arguing with someone.
Feline Idioms and Phrases 21 to 25
21. Grin Like a Cheshire Cat
To smile broadly in a very self-satisfied way.
22. Has the Cat Got Your Tongue?
A phrase used when referring to someone who has very little to say for themselves. The origins of this idiomatic saying remain unclear. It possibly originated from stories of witches whose cats would steal the tongue of their victims to prevent them from telling others.
23. Hellcat
A fiery, ill-tempered person.
24. High as the Hair on a Cat’s Back
Meaning: To describe something very expensive or valuable.
25. Keep No More Cats Than Will Catch Mice
Sense: A way of saying that you should be efficient.
Idiomatic Expressions Involving Cats 26 to 30
26. Let the Cat out of the Bag
Meaning: To suggest that you have said something you didn’t intend to say. Indicates that a person has inadvertently revealed a secret.
27. Like a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
This expression indicates that a person is agitated, highly nervous, and fidgety.
28. Like Herding Cats
Refers to someone trying to manage multiple tasks at the same time. Often used to describe a person attempting to manage a large team of individuals who are uncooperative.
29. Look Like the Cat That got the Cream
Meaning: You, or another person, are very pleased with yourself and what you have accomplished.
30. Look Like the Cat That Swallowed the Canary
Meaning: To be extraordinarily self-satisfied or smug. Often used to describe someone who is concealing some mischievous act.
Cat Idioms 31 to 35
31. Look What the Cat Dragged in
A phrase often used in a slightly derogatory or playful way. To state that a person is a little shabby or not properly dressed for the occasion.
32. Morals of an Alley Cat
References the actions of a stray cat that hangs around streets and alleyways of a town or city and refers to a person of loose morals.
33. Not Have a Cat in Hell’s Chance
Meaning: To have absolutely no prospect of doing something. To have no chance at all.
34. No Room to Swing a Cat
Meaning: A tight or confined space.
35. Play Cat and Mouse
Meaning: To toy with or amuse oneself with something.
Cat Idioms and Puns 36 – 40
36. Pussyfooting Around
Suggestive of someone avoiding a decision or avoiding saying what they mean.
37. The Cat’s Pajamas
Refers to a person who is the best at what they do.
38. There is More Than One Way to Skin a Cat
Meaning: There are many alternative ways of achieving something.
39. To Bell a Cat
This expression refers to an impossible task. Believed to originate from the fable of a mouse who has the idea of hanging a bell around a cat’s neck to warn them of its approach.
40. To Have Kittens
Meaning: To be very upset or worried about something. A dramatic way of describing how frightened or upset you have been.
Feline Idioms 41 to 45
41. To Make a Cat Laugh
To say that something is ironic or very funny.
42. To Put a Cat Among the Pigeons
Meaning: A way of saying someone has created an upset or a disturbance.
43. To Rain Cats and Dogs
This idiom refers to the fact that it is raining very heavily. A saying whose origins have been lost over the ages.
44. To Turn the Cat in the Pan
Meaning: To reverse an outcome or situation. Also used to refer to someone who has turned traitor.
45. She’s The Cat’s Mother
An expression often used to rebuke someone. Most often used when a mother is called “she” in a conversation. Sometimes seen as being a disrespectful way of being addressed, giving rise to a response of “whose SHE, the cat’s mother.”
Yet More Cat Idioms 46 to 50
46. See Which Way the Cat Jumps
A way of saying that you should wait until you see how things develop or progress before committing yourself to a course of action.
47. Walk Like a Cat on Eggs
Meaning: Taking great care and consideration in an activity.
48. Wanton Kittens Make Sober Cats
Refers to people who, in their younger days, may act wildly or without restraint, often learn to their cost that this behavior is inappropriate in later life.
49. Weak as a Kitten
A way of describing someone as fragile or feeble.
50. While the Cats Away, the Mice Will Play
Meaning: People left unsupervised will do/act as they please. That they will take advantage of the situation.
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