Cats phrases and words in English

Cat idioms that earned their place in everyday English — let the cat out of the bag, herding cats, curiosity killed the cat, the cat's pyjamas — handy for describing secrets, chaos, nerves and smugness in any conversation, no actual cat required

29 phrases · meanings & example sentences

“Let the cat out of the bag”

To accidentally reveal a secret. The origin is disputed — possibly from medieval market scams where a piglet was swapped for a cat in a sack. Used for any moment a confidential plan, surprise or piece of gossip slips out before it was meant to

He congratulated her on the promotion before it was announced. Let the cat out of the bag in the lobby
The aunt mentioned the surprise party right in front of the birthday girl. Cat fully out of the bag
He texted the engagement plan to the wrong group chat. Let the cat out of the bag, hard

“Herding cats”

Trying to coordinate a group of independent, distractible people who pull in different directions the moment you turn your back. Popularised by a 1999 Super Bowl ad. Used for any thankless effort to keep scattered, self-interested actors moving together

Trying to schedule one meeting across eight time zones and seven calendars. Herding cats
Getting twelve cousins to agree on a restaurant for Christmas dinner. Pure herding cats
Coordinating the open-source maintainers on the v2 migration. Three months of herding cats

“Cat nap”

A short, opportunistic sleep of fifteen to forty minutes snatched anywhere available — couch, desk, train — without ceremony. Named for the way cats sleep in many small uncoordinated chunks across the day. Used for any quick recharge squeezed into a busy schedule

He set a twenty-minute timer on his desk and was out cold by minute three. Cat nap, perfect form
She closed her eyes between Clapham and Waterloo and woke up sharper. Commuter cat nap
Grandpa takes a cat nap in his armchair every afternoon at three

“Cat got your tongue”

A teasing question aimed at someone who falls silent exactly when they were expected to speak. The origin is unknown despite popular whip theories. Used for any conspicuous silence after a direct question, especially when the person has clearly been caught out

The interviewer asked why he left his last role and he stared at the table for eight seconds. Cat got your tongue
She asked her teenager where the missing twenty pounds had gone. Total cat-got-your-tongue silence
He went quiet the second she asked who he'd texted. What, cat got your tongue?

“Curiosity killed the cat”

A proverb warning that poking into what doesn't concern you can land you in trouble. The fuller version — 'but satisfaction brought it back' — got dropped, leaving only the warning. Used as a soft way of telling someone to drop a question they shouldn't be asking

He kept pressing his colleague about why she'd really left her last firm. Mate, curiosity killed the cat
She opened the email chain she wasn't on. Curiosity killed the cat, fired by Friday
The kid kept lifting the lid on grandma's stew. Curiosity killed the cat

“Cat and mouse”

A drawn-out back-and-forth where one side pursues and the other dodges, each anticipating the next move — the hunter never quite catching, the prey never quite escaping. Used for any prolonged tactical chase between rivals, exes, regulators or negotiators

The tax authority has been playing cat and mouse with that holding company for six years
She texts him, he waits two days to reply, then she goes quiet. Pure cat and mouse
The two startups keep undercutting each other's prices. Cat and mouse on the pricing page

“Look what the cat dragged in”

A half-teasing greeting for someone who arrives looking dishevelled, late, or unexpectedly present — from the way house cats leave dead birds at the doorstep as gifts. Used, somewhere between mockery and welcome, for anyone turning up in a worse state than expected

He showed up to brunch in yesterday's shirt with one shoe untied. Look what the cat dragged in
The ex who ghosted everyone for two years walked into the bar on a Tuesday. Look what the cat dragged in
The intern who'd been off sick for a week reappeared at standup. Look what the cat dragged in

“Copycat”

Someone who imitates another person's behaviour, work or style without credit. Late nineteenth-century American slang that borrowed the animal name to sharpen the accusation. Used for any imitator, from a sibling copying an outfit to a competitor cloning a feature

She launched the same newsletter format two weeks after he did. Total copycat
Her little brother keeps ordering whatever she orders at restaurants. Classic copycat
The rival app shipped the exact same onboarding flow in March. Copycat, pixel for pixel

“Scaredy-cat”

A playful name for someone easily frightened or too timid to take a small, harmless risk, built on the stereotype of cats as jumpy animals. Used, usually teasingly, for anyone hanging back out of nerves when there's nothing real to fear

He wouldn't ride the small rollercoaster with the kids. Total scaredy-cat
She made someone else send the slightly bold email. Bit of a scaredy-cat
Nobody on the team would push back on the plan. Room full of scaredy-cats

“Fat cat”

A disapproving term for a rich, powerful person seen as enriching themselves at others' expense. Coined in 1920s American politics for big-money donors. Used for any privileged insider profiting comfortably while everyone below them struggles

Bonuses doubled the same year they cut the cleaners' hours. Fat-cat move
The op-ed blamed the energy fat cats for the winter price hikes
He bought a third holiday home the month the pension froze. Classic fat cat

“Cat fight”

A fierce, petty, often public quarrel — lazily applied to women, but it fits any spiteful squabble. Used for any flare-up that's more about wounded pride than the actual issue at hand

Two department heads turned a budget meeting into a full cat fight over a job title
The group chat became a cat fight about who forgot to book the table
The neighbours had a cat fight on the pavement over one parking space

“Raining cats and dogs”

A way to describe very heavy rain, recorded since the 1600s with a murky origin. Used for any sudden downpour, and stretched playfully to anything that arrives all at once in overwhelming amounts

We sprinted from the car and still got soaked. Raining cats and dogs
The match was abandoned at half-time, raining cats and dogs
Months of silence, then five offers in one week. Suddenly raining cats and dogs

“Grinning like a Cheshire cat”

To wear a broad, fixed, knowing smile, usually because you're delighted with yourself or in on a secret. From the perpetually grinning cat in Alice in Wonderland. Used for anyone visibly, smugly pleased who won't yet say why

He walked out of the interview grinning like a Cheshire cat. Got the job
She knew about the surprise and sat through dinner grinning like a Cheshire cat
After the deal closed he stood at the back of the room grinning like a Cheshire cat

“Pussyfoot around”

To behave over-cautiously — treading softly and dodging a decision or a hard truth, the way a cat picks its steps. Used for anyone who circles a subject instead of saying or doing the direct thing

Stop pussyfooting around and tell me if I got the role
Management pussyfooted around the layoffs for weeks before announcing them
He pussyfooted around asking her out for an entire summer

“More than one way to skin a cat”

A reminder that there are many ways to reach the same goal, so a blocked path isn't the end. The grisly image has no literal origin. Used to reassure someone that one failed method doesn't doom the whole plan

The API was locked down, so we scraped the public page instead. More than one way to skin a cat
If the bank says no, we raise from angels. More than one way to skin a cat
She couldn't get a meeting, so she cornered him at the conference. More than one way to skin a cat

“When the cat's away”

Short for 'when the cat's away, the mice will play' — people drop the rules the moment whoever enforces them leaves. A proverb in English since the 1500s. Used for any loosening of discipline once the boss, parent or teacher is gone

The manager took a week off and half the team worked from a café. When the cat's away
Parents went out for dinner and the kids had ice cream for dinner. When the cat's away
The teacher stepped out and the class was on their phones in seconds. When the cat's away

“Zoomies”

A sudden burst of frantic, high-energy activity that erupts out of total stillness, then vanishes as fast as it came. Borrowed from the wild five-minute sprints cats and dogs do for no reason. Used for any person — or system — that flips from idle to chaotic in seconds

He hadn't said a word in standup for three weeks. Then on Friday he refactored the whole pipeline. Pure zoomies
The toddler was quiet for an hour, then sprinted six laps of the kitchen island. Zoomies
She answered no emails all day and then shipped the launch at 11pm. Classic zoomies

“The cat's pyjamas”

Roaring-twenties slang for something or someone excellent — the height of style or quality. Part of a wave of nonsense animal phrases ('the bee's knees', 'the cat's whiskers') from the same era. Used, often with a wink, to praise something as the very best

She thinks her new standing desk is the cat's pyjamas
He got front-row seats and acted like he was the cat's pyjamas all night
That little bakery's cinnamon rolls are the cat's pyjamas

“Like the cat that got the cream”

To look thoroughly, smugly pleased with yourself, usually because something has gone your way and you know it. The image is a cat licking its lips after stealing the milk. Used for anyone wearing visible self-satisfaction they're not bothering to hide

He closed the deal and sat back like the cat that got the cream
She won the bet and grinned all evening like the cat that got the cream
The kid who grabbed the last slice looked like the cat that got the cream

“No room to swing a cat”

A way to describe an uncomfortably small, cramped space. The 'cat' is widely thought to be the cat-o'-nine-tails whip, which needed clearance to swing, rather than an actual animal. Used for any room, flat or seat far too tight for comfort

The studio was charming but there was no room to swing a cat
Six of us crammed into that office — no room to swing a cat
Lovely little café, though there's no room to swing a cat inside

“Like a cat on a hot tin roof”

To be jumpy, restless and unable to settle, usually from nerves or anticipation. The picture is a cat hopping about on burning-hot metal. Used for anyone visibly on edge while waiting for news or a result

He was like a cat on a hot tin roof the morning of the interview
She paced the waiting room like a cat on a hot tin roof
Waiting for the exam results, he was a cat on a hot tin roof all week

“A cat has nine lives”

The old belief that cats survive falls and scrapes that should kill them, stretched into a saying for anyone or anything that keeps cheating disaster. Used for a person, business or plan that should have failed by now but keeps bouncing back

Three near-bankruptcies and they're still trading. That company has nine lives
He's crashed two bikes and walked away both times. Nine lives
The show was cancelled twice and came back stronger. Nine lives

“Cat burglar”

A thief who breaks in quietly and skilfully, climbing and slipping through gaps without waking anyone — named for moving with a cat's stealth. Used for any silent, nimble entry or exit, sometimes jokingly for sneaking around at home

He crept in past midnight like a cat burglar so he wouldn't wake the baby
She raided the office fridge like a cat burglar before the meeting
The striker ghosted in at the back post like a cat burglar

“Cool cat”

Jazz-era slang for a relaxed, stylish, self-assured person who never seems rattled. 'Cat' was hipster shorthand for a person; 'cool' kept its calm-under-pressure sense. Used, often fondly or teasingly, for anyone effortlessly composed

New hire walked into the all-hands totally unfazed. Cool cat
Grandad rocked up to the wedding in sunglasses and a linen suit. Cool cat
She handled the heckler without blinking. Real cool cat

“Put the cat among the pigeons”

To say or do something that throws a calm group into sudden uproar. The image is a cat dropped into a flock — instant chaos. Used for any remark or move that deliberately stirs up trouble or controversy

She asked about pay transparency in the meeting and really put the cat among the pigeons
Mentioning politics at dinner put the cat among the pigeons
His post about the rival club put the cat among the pigeons

“Fight like cats and dogs”

To quarrel constantly and fiercely, the way the two animals are supposed to clash on sight. Used for any pair — siblings, colleagues, partners — who bicker nonstop yet often stick together anyway

The two of them fight like cats and dogs but can't run the shop without each other
My brother and I fought like cats and dogs growing up
Those two flatmates fight like cats and dogs over the dishes

“Catty”

Making subtle, spiteful, often sarcastic remarks about someone, usually behind a thin veil of politeness. Built on the image of a cat's sudden scratch. Used for any sniping, passive-aggressive comment aimed at quietly putting someone down

She praised his presentation and then asked who really wrote it. Bit catty
The group chat got catty the second she left the room
His comments under her photo were pure catty

“Like a scalded cat”

Moving suddenly and very fast, usually in panic or alarm — the way a cat bolts the instant it's startled. Used for anyone who darts off or reacts at top speed the moment something goes wrong

He shot out of bed like a scalded cat when the alarm finally went off
The keeper came off his line like a scalded cat
She left the meeting like a scalded cat the second her phone buzzed

“Bell the cat”

To take on the risky or unpleasant task everyone agrees needs doing but nobody wants to do. From Aesop's fable of mice who plan to tie a bell on the cat, then realise no one will volunteer. Used for stepping up to a thankless, dangerous job

Someone has to tell the boss the deadline's impossible. Who's going to bell the cat?
We all wanted grandma to stop driving, but nobody would bell the cat
The plan was great until it came to belling the cat and confronting him