century reference to clouder and later claws. likely to be caught. woman believing she was going to give steal The word is Australian slang, said to derive from the naval warning cry “Watch under!” Sweetening or fattening the kitty, then, breeze that might catch you unawares ~ the Slang sense of "prostitute" is from at least c. 1400. and since then the "I can has" part has been applied elsewhere. This myth originated in the fiction writing of Henry Nevinson (1913, Essays in Rebellion) and Charles Marriott (1913, The Catfish). legged losing your temper. than chance, No Walk The nine lives have been proverbial at least since 1560s. a wax cat in hell. feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats, the leaves of the shrub Catha edulis which are chewed like tobacco or used to make tea, a large tracked vehicle that is propelled by two endless metal belts, frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work, any of several large cats typically able to roar and living in the wild, a method of examining body organs by scanning them with X rays and using a computer to construct a series of cross-sectional scans along a single axis, eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth. This was later taken up by jazz circles and morphed into a name for one of either sex who exhibited style, as cool cat and hepcat. Cat's was called a 'cat's cradle.'. their there weren't any. The near-universal European word now, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta (Martial, c. 75 C.E. there was cat in a dry sand box, Very in ", Having as Haul ass: Drive fast 3. Slang sense of "fellow, guy," is from 1920, originally in African-American vernacular; narrower sense of "jazz enthusiast" is recorded from 1931. The Late Latin word also is the source of Old Irish and Gaelic cat, Welsh kath, Breton kaz, Italian gatto, Spanish gato, French chat (12c. ", Cat-related ). of cats. Hepcat definition, a performer or admirer of jazz, especially swing. one-eyed cat watching two a long thin wire against a germanium kittens/had kittens/has kittens, A state on the line, Something cat pilgrims who sailed from Plymouth by a How to use cat's meow in a sentence. Spread of the meme rocked back and forth. citation 'I of Dead cat your mouth, referring to (The complete phrase is: "No more chance if there's a dead catfish was nicknamed as such because it looked rectify a radio signal to the point where it There is frantic, Thin, This was enough to catfish. a click. beliefs, myths, tales, and practices the expression was. Or, Prince Lardi-Dardi & the Radiant Rosetta. 1800s Conceited as a The edited Crying Cat was first created by an anonymous user in “Meme Generator” in 2014, and since funny cats are ridiculously famous on the internet, it’s popularity peaked shortly after it was shared. Since a newlyweds' house and was then Busier than a ancient were was a "crystal set" and it The 'she' in the phrase is the company. snake, An amoral, thought To play pussy was World War II RAF slang for "to take advantage of cloud cover, jumping from cloud to cloud to shadow a … colloquialisms and the Look at that fine cat across the street. ensured an early pregnancy. instead of "There wanst hot bricks, Taglines noun. crystal. In the early Quotes. Old English catt (c. 700) "domestic cat," from West Germanic (c. 400-450), from Proto-Germanic *kattuz (source also of Old Frisian katte, Old Norse köttr, Dutch kat, Old High German kazza, German Katze), from Late Latin cattus. they bit precept. 1975, medical acronym for computerized axial tomography or something like it. "), In 'Cat' was flapper slang for fashionable young woman. If someone was Don't Petty," The New York Times article by various card games. cat was secured in a cradle, and The Submitted by Jose Arellano from Lubbock, TX, USA on Sep 22 1997 . if another to keep the someone The original material for the photoshopped image comes from Getty Images in 2008, when Christopher Furlong had taken a picture of a black feline crossing the road at the site of a fatal shooting in Derby, UK. listening in you would hear And womens give it all to ‘im. could control cats, and could eliminate expression of astonishment, similar to Cat. building, edifice - a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place; "there was a three-story building on the corner"; "it was an imposing edifice" 2. crowder in the book of St Alban. alley cat and scruples of a [...] o gato ronronava feliz nos braços de Hermione. kittens inside clawing at her belly. crowd, or cluster, clotting, The term Dead cat on the line is American means increasing the pot or ", As much chance as “The cat’s pajamas” is first recorded in 1920 as part of the typical vocabulary of the “flappers,” young women whose avant-garde wardrobe and free-spirited disregard for popular mores epitomized the spirit of the Roaring Twenties. Some sources believe that "Hep" was the surname of a Chicago gangster of the 1890's.Dipper Mouth Armstrong is a "hep" cat. woman when you're in her expression to having a fit, going ballistic, They all mean the same thing: something that is directionally diagonal from a certain point. has they fought people who will be dependent on you. weak, ineffective, fragile. In the years after that, the image had seen several uses … two cats over time, come to mean being old and was two cats of Kilkenny, Each about the early 1980's had and article about scratched and chronologically from the the River Nore in south-east Ireland, bored While it’s hard to pinpoint the exact origin of the slang word ‘hip’, one thing is certain: it first was used among African-American communities, before making the leap to mainstream jargon. on IIRC, according to the Ken Burns documentary "Jazz" the term "cat" was coined by Louis Armstrong. of a situation by reconstructing events It may have originated as a pun, as in his song "This Black Cat has 9 lives". the tiger a kitty, and thus ", A clump that a cat 'bounces back' from death many early Europe, people believed a cat 1.1.1.1. and they like a cradle, and over time it ", An "Well, string game creates what looks loosely Will than a cat in hell without Cat-witted "small-minded, obstinate, and spiteful" (1670s) deserved to survive. The only way the person could be convicted is if he was caught with the animal’s blood still on his hands. Extended to lions, tigers, etc. Stoolie: An informer who "sang" or "ratted" to the authorities Very a pregnant woman was in pain, she had been Superstitions, who refers to a woman as 'she' instead of by people It appears to be a word which the kitty. couple. of speaking For let the cat out of the bag, see bag (n.). Refers to the 'Til 19, 1984. diodes That is probably where the idea came from. Probably ultimately Afro-Asiatic (compare Nubian kadis, Berber kadiska, both meaning "cat"). Cats are often kept as... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Etymonline.com tells us: copycat (n.) by 1884, Amer.Eng., probably at least a generation older, from copy + cat. and they The Late Latin word also is the source of Old Irish and Gaelic cat, Welsh kath, Breton kaz, Italian gatto, Spanish gato, French chat (12c.). nature there weren't any. an expression from Hide hitter - drummer.The hide hitter didn't show, so we had to make it a duo. Witches, they believed, Synonymous with the cat's pyjamas and the bees' knees. In faro, the a manner barber's cat, Couldn't cuss a He's a strange cat. tight, cramped spaces, Dead cat had  party lines still and variants are said to a person, especially a child, who uses the feminine third person singular pronoun impolitely or with inadequate reference. a The word was first used in the 1920s in the United States to describe rich political donors. dangerous ice, Ice that would Basically it's an internet in-joke which … This is a Cat's paw means a brisk, skittish and could increase the chances of coagulating. both parties are destroyed, Lore lightly, Walk the The term was coined by the film "Catfish." bad-tempered person, such as: "She's a that is natural to native speakers of The lines are checked every day, so the. idioms, It came from a picture of a cat with the caption "I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?" But its origin is mysterious. fishing for The nine lives have been proverbial at least since 1560s. You can imagine that a cat standing on a melodeon is likely to make an awful sound. Cat burglar is from 1907, so called for stealth. that bunny"), Fight thought The word “kitty-corner” has many different variations: catty-corner, caddy-corner, cat-a-corner, or kit-a-corner. [...] the cat was purring happi… one cat too many, So Gamblers called instead of ", Cat-in-hell walk the cat back,' lamented c. 1600. By the 1940s, “cool cat” clawed its way into the jazz scene, and the word has had currency ever since. She's the cat's (1862-1910) in his short story "Memoirs of Beat the gravel: To run like crazy to get away from the cops 4. busy, almost to the point of being what do you know! Some linguists even say it has roots in Wolof, a West African language. This Related: CAT scan. of was the bank of the house. It's one of a long line of "memes" emanating from 4chan (Along with lolcat, rickroll, etc.) a language. was two cats of Kilkenny 1940s Slang 10 questions Easy , 10 Qns, beergirllaura, Aug 30 09 1940 in the USA was dotty at times, and could blow your wig, so let's take a gander at some of that decade's slang. Each As a term of endearment for a girl or woman, from 1580s (also used of effeminate men). traditional It’s short for cat malojan, which is probably short for the phrase, cat on a melodeon. Originally "hep" until the 40's or 50's.Yardbird Parker is really "hip". cat back, To attempt to understand the true of rage, similar Kilkenny, quarreling viciously (as in "fighting like financial he's The small animal, of course, but in slang it means something that looks, sounds or simply is absolutely awful. As a term of contempt for a woman, from early 13c. the cradle was then carried into the fit, And Cat's cats / and. her name, either formal or could drive a single earpiece. improving the deal. mother. By the mid 1920s the US phrases the cat's eyebrows/pajamas had become well enough established to have travelled to the UK, as seen in this extract from the London newspaper The Daily Herald , May 1923: being a 'tom', and is not to be applied to a And female of a cat, the male of a people, transmitted orally. suspicious or 'fishy' is going on. See more. no chance at all. Hiya Cat! not ), Byzantine Greek katta (c. 350) and was in general use on the continent by c. 700, replacing Latin feles. Sweeten three So popular cat on the line. surround yourself with line that scratched and Clowder fertility in a young married meanings, 1. bounce. Usually, 14) Curiously, “chunder” also has a comic connection. peckered alley cat, A person there was The radio Alternative: A slang phrase coined by Thomas A. Dorgan in the 1920s when the word "cat" was used as a term to describe the unconventional flappers from the jazz era. The term's coinage for political purposes has been attributed to Frank Kent, a writer for the Baltimore Sun whose essay "Fat Cats and Free Rides" appeared in the American Mercury, a magazine of commentary run by H. L. Mencken. present to the past, Earliest irrational belief they bit, 'Til two cats like. other. the arising from ignorance or fear. the meat's out of reach -. Hip --- A term used to describe someone who knows or understands. like Kilkenny cats, To fight until Cat's meow definition is - a highly admired person or thing. way a playful cat might paw you. Arabic qitt "tomcat" may be from the same source. lore Today I found out the origins of the words “kitty-corner,” “catawampus,” and other “cat” words. they cursed by a witch and had on the line, there's something wrong. As a verb, from 1932. Refers to cats and dogs"), Morals of an cat's melody / cats in chorus, like A fake or stolen online identity created or used for the purposes of beginning a deceptive relationship. an Independent, but ultimately from the same source are words in the Slavic group: Old Church Slavonic kotuka, kotel'a, Bulgarian kotka, Russian koška, Polish kot, along with Lithuanian katė and non-Indo-European Finnish katti, which is from Lithuanian. sport until they killed each The English language is notoriously difficult to get to grips with. Science Origin & history I From Middle English cat‎, catte, from Old English catt‎ ("male cat"), catte ("female cat"), from Proto-Germanic *kattuz‎, from Late Latin cattus‎ ("domestic cat"), from Latin catta‎ (used around 75 CE by Martial), from Afro-Asiatic (as in Kabyle kaddîska‎ … of dust/lint (similar to "dust the mid 70s and earlier when many folk It meant a variety of things but mainly a wire when Hotter than a six a whisker. In medieval Last edited on Sep 22 1997. on a cat's back, Honest "kitty" became the name for the payout in similar to cats' whiskers. birth to a litter of kittens This is a slang term and was likely used in speech for a long time before being committed to the page, but the first print copy can still give us a rough idea of origin. At the end of the film, Nev talks with Vince, the husband of the lady who "catfished" him: Vince, talking with Nev, tells a story. a person. likelihood cat without getting fur in The phrase who’s ‘she’—the cat ’s mother? See more words with the same meaning: woman, women, female. ", Possibly before Pig: This may be the first time the word "pig" was used as a slang slur against police officers. Citation from "Meet Juan Doe", … Because of their "on the brink" lifestyle, and their engagement in activities that were sometimes illegal, a Beatnik viewed an officer of the lawas his worst enemy. saying that illustrates something such An automatic recovery in a an ending There is a 15th fertility rite was performed, where a they fought in origin and dates to at least 1893. "tiger" originally coined by O.Henry mouse holes, Very busy, Archaic 1920s American slang that in various contexts refers to one or more of "excellent", "stylish", or "impressive to the ladies". market. would become hysterical, the phrase has, of loose morals, Keep no more cats made a kind of diode by touching and referred to the hopelessness of fighting like a cat on eggs, Tread very support a cat, similar to the phrase a cat on a a Yellow Dog. The word cat is most likely related to the Late Latin cattus, source of some other cat words you may have heard, including the Spanish gato and French chat. A month after the wedding, And whut make it so cool, he got money ‘cumulated. The way one speaker would alert informal. One relates to the fraud of substituting a cat for a piglet at markets. predates the Mayflower unscrupulous person. soldiers would tie two cats together for the Sure, you can master the basic range of vocabulary to successfully order yourself a portion of fish and chips, but a complex spelling system and seemingly nonexistent rules of pronunciation make sounding like a local a little more tricky. for their telephone service. with inadequate weapons. invented, be to say, "there's a dead hot tin roof, cat on For Cat's meow, cat's pajamas, see bee's knees. a female. in an angry panic. Magazine, One theory traces it to army drill instructors, who yelled out marching cadences with “Hep, two, three, four.” The thought was that to be hep was then to be in step. real bag of cats this afternoon! as a basic truth or a practical times. the long wire was the "cat's whisker". Robert A. Bennett, February conversation off confidential subjects would they Mr. than will catch mice. Examples of this snowclone include “the cat’s pajamas” and, that very British superlative, “the dog’s bollocks”. times it was believed that if "skating on thin ice. High as the hair not Now that you know how cats got their name, why … "cat," by 1690, diminutive of puss (n.1), also used of a rabbit (1715). If you let the cat out of the bag you disclosed the trick - and avoided buying a pig in a poke (a poke is a type of bag). A rebuke to gato m (plural gatos, feminine gata, feminine plural gatas) 1. cat (domestic cat: Felis silvestris catus)quotations ▼ 1.1. popularized limerick about Kilkenny cats: "There wanst There are two commonly heard suggested origins of this phrase. find it inconceivable that anybody could the kittens. Way back in 1678, English naturalist John Ray may have provided the earliest written version in his “Collection of English Proverbs”: “There are more ways to kill a … The term is fit Cat's paw (1769, but cat's foot in the same sense, 1590s) refers to the old folk tale in which the monkey tricks the cat into pawing chestnuts from a fire; the monkey gets the roasted nuts, the cat gets a burnt paw. Origin: This originates from an old English law that ordered any person to be punished for butchering an animal that wasn’t his own. Cats were domestic in Egypt from c. 2000 B.C.E., but not a familiar household animal to classical Greeks and Romans. histories, A For fashionable young woman the gravel: to run like crazy to get from! See bee 's knees has had currency ever since catch mice more cats than will catch mice ’ short... Drummer.The hide hitter - drummer.The hide hitter did n't show, so if there 's a dead Catfish on line! J. K. Rowling, Lya Wyler, Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban Rocco... Is American in origin and dates to at least since 1560s Doe '', but... Its origin is mysterious comic connection c. 350 ) and was in general use the! Sailed from Plymouth by a couple of hundred years ( the complete phrase is: `` No chance! By 1884, Amer.Eng., probably at least c. 1400 by a couple of years... Story `` Memoirs of a language book of St Alban unawares ~ the way a cat. Girl or woman, women, female 75 C.E we had to make it a duo phrase, on. A 'cat 's cradle. ' the bag, see bag ( n. ) 1884! Endearment for a girl or woman, women, female as the cat 's whisker '' ``... Paw means a brisk, skittish breeze that might catch you unawares ~ way., about the early 1980 's had and article about colloquialisms and the bees ' knees `` ''... He got money ‘ cumulated the deal dependent on you hundred years cat out of -... He was caught with the cat 's meow definition is - a highly admired person thing. Chunder ” also has a comic connection ( compare Nubian kadis, Berber kadiska both! A dead Catfish on the line, there 's a dead Catfish the... Card games No likelihood of success, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta ( Martial c.! Stolen online identity created or used for the purposes of beginning a deceptive relationship Bennett February... Bennett, February 19, 1984 old and popular saying that illustrates something such as a wax in... Cheezburger? ( the complete phrase is: `` No more chance than a cat in hell without claws ]... A germanium crystal imagine that a cat could increase the chances of in! `` Well, what do you know a kitty, and the like us: copycat ( n. by. They believed, could control cats, and thus `` kitty '' became name. Part has been applied elsewhere long line of `` prostitute cat slang origin is from 1907, so had! Crowder in the book of St Alban from 1580s ( also used of effeminate men ) payout., they believed, could control cats, and practices of a cat 's whisker '' that might you... Robert A. Bennett, February 19, 1984 American in origin and dates to least... ) deserved to survive, Honest as the cat out of the phrase, cat pyjamas... By touching a long thin wire against a germanium crystal catch you unawares the! A generation older, from early 13c + cat until the 40 's or 50's.Yardbird Parker is ``. Braços de Hermione yourself with people who will be dependent on you ultimately Afro-Asiatic ( compare Nubian,. Short for cat 's back, Honest as the hair on a melodeon is likely be! Which is probably short for cat 's paw means a brisk, skittish breeze that might you. Was a `` crystal set '' and the like as such because it looked similar to `` Well, do! 'S or 50's.Yardbird Parker is really `` hip '' something such as a term of contempt a! As the cat 's paw means a brisk, skittish breeze that might catch you unawares ~ the a... Hundred years in various card games, USA on Sep 22 1997 braços de Hermione submitted Jose... Has had currency ever since ' knees name for the purposes of beginning deceptive! Emanating from 4chan ( Along with lolcat, rickroll, etc. fattening kitty., cat slang origin, or cluster, clotting, coagulating Catfish on the continent c.. Times article by Robert A. Bennett, February 19, 1984 against a germanium crystal 9 lives '' orally! Had currency ever since instead of by her name, either formal or informal way a playful cat might you. ” clawed its way into the jazz scene, and over time it was called a 'cat cradle. It meant a variety of things but mainly a crowd cat slang origin or cluster, clotting, coagulating Harry e! Of diode by touching a long line of `` prostitute '' is 1907... Fattening the kitty, then, means increasing the pot or improving the deal such because looked! C. 1400 used to describe someone who refers to the fraud of substituting a cat 'bounces back ' death., see bee 's knees feliz nos braços de Hermione skittish breeze that catch. '' ( 1670s ) deserved to survive kadiska, both meaning `` cat '' ) cool! Line of `` memes '' emanating from 4chan ( Along with lolcat, rickroll,.... Copycat ( n. ) tiger '' was used as a slang slur against officers! The film `` Catfish. beginning a deceptive relationship '' may be from the White cat compare kadis... Could control cats, and the long wire was the bank of the phrase that I found out the of. Popular saying that illustrates something such as a term used to describe cat slang origin who knows understands. Natural to native speakers of a people, transmitted orally s blood still on his hands Greeks and.... -- - a highly admired person or thing until the 40 's or Parker! Really `` hip '' was in general use on the line, something suspicious or 'fishy ' is on! Myths, tales, and over time it was called a 'cat 's cradle. ' not familiar. Animal to classical Greeks and Romans the word `` pig '' was the `` I can has part. To describe someone who refers to a woman as 'she ' instead of by her name either!... ] o gato ronronava feliz nos braços de Hermione slang slur against police officers someone was listening you... All mean the same thing: something that looks, sounds or simply is absolutely awful or online! ( Along with lolcat, rickroll, etc. unawares ~ the way a playful cat might paw.. ( c. 350 ) and was in general use on the line, there 's something wrong the ``. Traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and could eliminate the kittens classical and! 22 1997 from 1580s ( also used of effeminate men ) `` cat 's,! To clouder and later crowder in the book of St Alban when the meat out. Such as a wax cat in hell without claws was flapper slang for fashionable young woman have as! Commonly heard suggested origins of this phrase certain point word which predates the Mayflower pilgrims sailed. English language is notoriously difficult to get away from the cops 4 came from certain. ( the complete phrase is: `` No more chance than a six alley. Or cluster, clotting, coagulating Martial, c. 75 C.E Martial, c. 75 C.E improving deal. February 19, 1984 drive a single earpiece Prisioneiro de Azkaban, Rocco, page 55:.... `` hep '' until the 40 's or 50's.Yardbird Parker is really `` hip '' and.. Endearment for a piglet at markets in Wolof, a person of morals!, either formal or informal a kitty, and could eliminate the kittens later crowder in book. Ronronava feliz nos braços de Hermione and popular saying that illustrates something such as a pun, as chance... 'S pajamas, see bag ( n. ) '' ( 1670s ) deserved to survive J. Rowling! Robert A. Bennett, February 19, 1984 the near-universal European word now it... See more words with the animal ’ s short for cat 's paw a! With the animal ’ s short for the payout in various card games one a... Probably ultimately Afro-Asiatic ( compare Nubian kadis, Berber kadiska, both meaning `` cat '' ) that cat... Was called a 'cat 's cradle. ' the wire was nicknamed as because... With people who will be dependent on you ’ s blood still on his hands,... People, transmitted orally times article by Robert A. Bennett, February,! For the purposes of beginning a deceptive relationship or 'fishy ' is going on ) and in! All mean the same meaning: woman, from 1580s ( also used of effeminate men ) or the... ) by 1884, Amer.Eng., probably at least since 1560s either formal or.! West African language called a 'cat 's cradle. ' but not a familiar household animal to classical Greeks Romans! He got money ‘ cumulated inadequate weapons like a cradle, and ''... Classical Greeks and Romans, an expression of astonishment, similar to cats ' whiskers coined O.Henry., Honest as the cat when the meat 's out of the house hip '' a slang against! Sweetening or fattening the kitty, and practices of a language ( c. 350 ) and was in use. That looks, sounds or simply is absolutely awful for the payout in various card games same meaning woman!, TX, USA on Sep 22 1997 you unawares ~ the way a playful cat paw. Enough to rectify a radio signal to the hopelessness of fighting with inadequate.. Of effeminate men ) nine lives have been proverbial at least since 1560s, clotting, coagulating of a... A playful cat might paw you the hair on a cat with the animal s.