Cat Got Your Tongue Idiom Meaning

By Ra_Jaylin585 11 May, 2022 Post a Comment

Definition of cat got your tongue. It isnt clear exactly where this idiom originated but its obvious that it would be difficult to speak if a cat did get your tongue.

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Often put as a question this term originally was used mainly with a child who did something wrong and refused to answer any questions.

. However other stories behind the origin of the phrase are a bit less about torture and more about religion. A question addressed to someone who is inexplicably silent. A comment made when someone is unaccountably or unusually quiet as in We havent heard from you all morning-has the cat got your tongue.

New Video 10 Idiom Examples with Reworded Sentences httpsyoutube6n3G5vXQ00A Meaning and Origin of English idiom Cat Got Your Tongue with examples of. Cat cats got your tongue. However it is unclear exactly how it developed.

Why are you silent. Titelman Random House New York 1996. According to Oxford Journals the earliest entry for the expression is in the Oxford English Dictionary of 1911.

Cat Got Your Tongue is an idiom. An expression that is used when someone is quiet and isnt talking or responding when you expect them to. Cat got your tongue B.

The knots in the ropes caused severe bleeding wherever they landed often on the persons chest or back. When someone is speechless or without words sometimes out of surprise you will say Cat got your tongue to prompt them to react. The saying originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was used when addressing a child who refused to answer a parents questions after some mischief.

Used to ask someone why he or she is not saying anything Youve been unusually quiet tonight she said. So saying the Cat got your tongue on an English ship meant you were flogged into submission or into silence. The origin of the idiom cat got your tongue is an intriguing one.

Cat got your tongue So this is kind of an old phrase but you can still use it today. Cat got your tongue has the Why are you silent. Often shortened to cat got your tongue From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y.

This idiom is often accompanied by Whats the matter at the beginning of it. According to Eric Partridge this term dates from the mid-nineteenth century in both England and the United States and was one of several phrases used in addressing a child who after getting into trouble refused to answer questions. Cat got your Tongue.

Cat got your tongue has the. This idiom can be said to someone who is refusing to answer a question or someone who has no response to an accusation of some sort. Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Answer 1 of 2. Today it is used more generally to ask anyone to speak. ESC youre too modest.

Whats the meaning of the phrase Cat got your tongue. Roots in the Middle Ages. One legend has it that witches cats would steal a persons speech so that the sighting could not be reported to the.

Explore Urdupoint to find out more popular. Meaning This expression is said to someone who has nothing to say. It is asking WHY that person isnt saying anything does the cat have your tongue.

The idiomatic expression cat got your tongue is a question you ask of someone who isnt saying anything. Why arent you saying anything. This expression originated in the 1800s.

Cat Got Your Tongue Meaning. Although many believe the cat in question is of the feline variety its actually the cat o nine tails a whip commonly used to flog sailors who misbehaved. If you are annoyed with someone because they are not speaking you might ask them Has the cat got your tongue.

However its estimated that the origin dates back to the Middle Ages. Meaning of Cat Got Your Tongue. Origin of Cat Got Your Tongue.

Im just not feeling well thats all See also. It suggests that a person cant talk because a cat is holding his or her tongue and preventing speech. The literal meaning is quite far-fetched so it obviously comes from the grown-ups invention of some.

The meaning of cat got your tongue Cat got your tongue. The origin of the phrase has the cat got your tongue isnt known. What a cat has to do with it I have no idea.

Cat Got Your Tongue stands for Why arent you speaking. What is certain is that it isnt derived as a reference to the cat o nine tails or peoples tongues being fed to cats in ancient Egypt. 2022 Farlex Inc all rights reserved.

Thus the saying has the cat got your. It is one of the most commonly used expressions in English writings. This expression is usually addressed as a question.

Both of these have been suggested and theres no shred of evidence to supp. According to Eric Partridge this term dates from the mid-nineteenth century in both England and the United States and was one of several phrases used in addressing a child who after getting into trouble refused to answer questions. An idiom meaning youre being unusually quiet or aren t saying much.

The longer form would be Has the cat got your tongue but its probably more common just to say Cat got your tongue This is something you say to someone who is being very quiet who is. Cat Got Your Tongue Meaning of Idiom Cat Got Your or ones Tongue This is usually expressed as a question to someone who is being unusually quiet or refusing to speak as in Has the cat got your tongue 1 Ammer Christine. Some have suggested that ancient kings would punish those who displeased them by cutting out their tongues and feeding them to their pet cats.

On English sailing ships anyone entrusted with a secret by a higher officer would be threatened with the cat for telling. Has the cat got your tongue is a light-hearted question addressed to someone who is inexplicably silent. This grisly idea persists in the theory that the phrase came from a time of witch-hunting where fear and hysteria abounded.

Also a euphemism for performing oral sex on a female.

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