Cats are special animals that many people love. They are curious, quick, and sometimes mysterious. Because of this, people have created many sayings about cats to describe different situations. These sayings are called idioms. Idioms use words in a fun way to show ideas that might be hard to explain with just normal words.
In this article, you will learn about some common idioms about cats. These idioms come from how cats act or how people think about cats. Understanding these idioms can help you know what people really mean when they use them. You will also see examples that make the meaning clear and easy to remember.
Idioms for Cats
1. Cat’s out of the bag
Meaning: A secret has been revealed.
Samples: The cat’s out of the bag about the surprise party. / Once the cat’s out of the bag, there’s no going back.
To Put it Another Way: A secret told. / Something that is no longer hidden.
2. Let the cat sleep
Meaning: To avoid causing trouble or disturbing a situation.
Samples: Don’t ask about the mistake; let the cat sleep for now. / Sometimes it’s better to let the cat sleep and not bring up old problems.
To Put it Another Way: Leave things alone. / Don’t stir up trouble.
3. Curiosity killed the cat
Meaning: Being too curious can lead to trouble.
Samples: Be careful when asking questions; curiosity killed the cat. / She learned the hard way that curiosity killed the cat.
To Put it Another Way: Too much curiosity is risky. / Asking too many questions can cause problems.
4. When the cat’s away, the mice will play
Meaning: People will misbehave if the leader is not present.
Samples: The teacher was gone, and the students acted wild when the cat’s away, the mice will play. / When the boss is out, the workers relax because when the cat’s away, the mice will play.
To Put it Another Way: People misbehave without supervision. / Trouble happens when no one is watching.
5. Fight like cats and dogs
Meaning: To argue or fight a lot.
Samples: My brothers fight like cats and dogs over the TV remote. / The two friends fought like cats and dogs after the game.
To Put it Another Way: To argue loudly. / To have a big fight.
6. Cat got your tongue?
Meaning: Said when someone is unexpectedly silent or lost for words.
Samples: You’ve been quiet all day has the cat got your tongue? / When I asked him the question, he just stared like the cat got his tongue.
To Put it Another Way: Why are you silent? / Lost for words.
7. Like a cat on a hot tin roof
Meaning: Nervous or restless.
Samples: She was like a cat on a hot tin roof before her test. / He paced the room like a cat on a hot tin roof, waiting for news.
To Put it Another Way: Very anxious. / Unable to stay calm.
8. Look what the cat dragged in
Meaning: Said jokingly when someone is messy or tired arrives.
Samples: When Jason walked in after practice, his sister said, “Look what the cat dragged in!” / After a long day, he looked like what the cat dragged in.
To Put it Another Way: Someone looks messy. / Someone looks very tired or worn out.
9. Cat nap
Meaning: A short, light sleep.
Samples: I took a cat nap after lunch and felt better. / She loves to take cat naps during study breaks.
To Put it Another Way: A quick rest. / A brief sleep.
10. There’s more than one way to skin a cat
Meaning: There is more than one way to do something.
Samples: You can solve the puzzle differently; there’s more than one way to skin a cat. / Don’t worry if your first plan doesn’t work; there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
To Put it Another Way: Many solutions exist. / Multiple ways to succeed.
11. A scaredy-cat
Meaning: Someone who is easily frightened.
Samples: Don’t be a scaredy-cat; the spider isn’t harmful. / He’s a scaredy-cat when it comes to roller coasters.
To Put it Another Way: Someone who is afraid. / A person who gets scared easily.
12. Cool cat
Meaning: Someone who is calm and confident.
Samples: He’s a cool cat even when things get tough. / She handled the test like a cool cat.
To Put it Another Way: Calm and collected person. / Someone confident and relaxed.
13. A copycat
Meaning: Someone who copies others.
Samples: Stop being a copycat and think for yourself. / He’s such a copycat, always wearing what his friends do.
To Put it Another Way: Someone who imitates. / A person who follows others’ actions.
14. Cat’s pajamas
Meaning: Something or someone excellent or special.
Samples: That new game is the cat’s pajamas! / She’s the cat’s pajamas when it comes to singing.
To Put it Another Way: The best. / Really great or special.
15. Look like the cat that got the cream
Meaning: To look very pleased with yourself.
Samples: After winning the prize, she looked like the cat that got the cream. / He smiled like the cat that got the cream after the game.
To Put it Another Way: Very happy and proud. / Smiling because you feel successful.
16. Cat on a hot roof
Meaning: Feeling uneasy or nervous.
Samples: He was like a cat on a hot roof before the big game. / Waiting for the test results made her feel like a cat on a hot roof.
To Put it Another Way: Very nervous. / Uncomfortable and restless.
17. Like herding cats
Meaning: Trying to control or organize a group that is hard to manage.
Samples: Getting the class to be quiet was like herding cats. / Organizing the party felt like herding cats with all the kids running around.
To Put it Another Way: Hard to control. / Difficult to organize people.
18. Play cat and mouse
Meaning: To trick or tease someone by pretending to be friendly or by hiding your real intentions.
Samples: The detective played cat and mouse with the suspect. / They played cat and mouse during the game, hiding their moves.
To Put it Another Way: To tease or trick. / To keep someone guessing.
19. Let sleeping cats lie
Meaning: Don’t cause trouble by bringing up old problems.
Samples: We decided not to argue about the past and let sleeping cats lie. / Sometimes it’s better to let sleeping cats lie to keep peace.
To Put it Another Way: Avoid old conflicts. / Don’t bring up old issues.
20. A cat burglar
Meaning: A thief who sneaks quietly into places.
Samples: The cat burglar stole the jewels without anyone noticing. / Police caught the cat burglar after several break-ins.
To Put it Another Way: A sneaky thief. / Someone who steals quietly.
21. Copycat crime
Meaning: A crime done by someone who copies another crime.
Samples: The robbery was a copycat crime of what happened last month. / Police warned about copycat crimes after the first one happened.
To Put it Another Way: Crime copied from another. / Imitated illegal act.
22. Cat call
Meaning: A loud whistle or shout to get someone’s attention, often rude or unwanted.
Samples: She ignored the cat calls on the street. / The players heard cat calls from the crowd during the game.
To Put it Another Way: Rude shout. / Loud attention call.
23. Cat fight
Meaning: A noisy argument or fight, usually between women.
Samples: The two girls had a cat fight during lunch. / The cat fight stopped when the teacher came.
To Put it Another Way: Loud fight. / Noisy argument.
24. Cat’s cradle
Meaning: A string game or something complicated.
Samples: He played cat’s cradle with the string. / The puzzle was like a cat’s cradle, hard to figure out.
To Put it Another Way: A tricky game. / Something complex or tangled.
25. Scaredy-cat syndrome
Meaning: Being afraid or nervous all the time.
Samples: He has scaredy-cat syndrome and won’t try new things. / Don’t let scaredy-cat syndrome stop you from having fun.
To Put it Another Way: Always scared. / Nervous all the time.
26. Cat burglar’s grace
Meaning: Moving quietly and carefully.
Samples: She sneaked into the room with cat burglar’s grace. / The cat burglar’s grace helped him escape unnoticed.
To Put it Another Way: Quiet and smooth movement. / Sneaky and careful action.
27. Cat on the prowl
Meaning: Looking for something or someone, often in a careful way.
Samples: The cat on the prowl watched the birds quietly. / He was like a cat on the prowl looking for a good deal.
To Put it Another Way: Searching carefully. / Watching quietly.
28. Cat and mouse game
Meaning: A back-and-forth chase or struggle.
Samples: The spy played a cat and mouse game with the enemy. / The team was in a cat and mouse game all season.
To Put it Another Way: A chase. / A struggle back and forth.
29. Fat cat
Meaning: A rich and powerful person.
Samples: The fat cat owned most of the businesses in town. / Many fat cats live in the big city.
To Put it Another Way: Wealthy person. / Rich and powerful individual.
30. Look like something the cat dragged in
Meaning: To look very messy or dirty.
Samples: After the hike, he looked like something the cat dragged in. / She came home late looking like something the cat dragged in.
To Put it Another Way: Messy appearance. / Very dirty or worn out.
Find the Topics: Idioms for Cats
Last Friday, the school held a big Valentine’s Day dance. Emma was excited but felt like a cat on a hot tin roof because she didn’t know many people. Her best friend Jake told her not to worry and said, “Don’t be a scaredy-cat! You’ll have fun.”
When Emma arrived, she saw her classmate Sam looking very tired. “Wow, you look like something the cat dragged in,” she joked. Sam laughed and said, “I stayed up late finishing my homework.”
During the dance, Emma’s teacher reminded everyone, “Remember, don’t let the cat out of the bag about the surprise for the teachers next week.” Everyone nodded and promised to keep it a secret.
Later, Emma and Jake played a game of tag, but Jake teased her by saying she was acting like a copycat because she kept copying his moves. Emma laughed and said, “That’s because there’s more than one way to skin a cat!”
At the end of the night, Emma took a short cat nap in the car on the way home. She dreamed of all the fun and said to herself, “Tonight was the cat’s pajamas!”
Your Task:
Underline or list all 8 idioms about cats you found in the story.
Answer Key
- Cat on a hot tin roof
- Scaredy-cat
- Look like something the cat dragged in
- Cat out of the bag
- Copycat
- More than one way to skin a cat
- Cat nap
- Cat’s pajamas
Conclusion
Idioms about cats help us talk in fun and interesting ways. They use the actions or ideas about cats to explain feelings or situations. Knowing these idioms makes it easier to understand what people mean in conversations or stories.
Using cat idioms can also make your writing and speaking more lively. Whether someone is nervous like a cat on a hot tin roof or keeping a secret with the cat out of the bag, these sayings add color to language. Learning them helps you enjoy English more.
