cat
noun/kæt/
Слово англійською: cat
Переклад cat українською: кі́шка (твари́на), ки́цька
Детальний опис
- a small animal with soft fur that people often keep as a pet. Cats catch and kill birds and mice.
- a tin of cat food
- I have a cat called Bo.
- a pet/domestic cat
- a stray/feral cat
- a wild animal of the cat family
- the big cats (= lions, tigers, etc.)
- She went to Africa to photograph big cats.
see also fat cat, fraidy cat, scaredy-cat, wildcat
Word OriginOld English catt, catte, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kat and German Katze; reinforced in Middle English by forms from late Latin cattus.
Idioms
be the cat’s whiskers/pyjamas
- (old-fashioned, informal) to be the best thing, person, idea, etc.
- He thinks he's the cat's whiskers (= he has a high opinion of himself).
be raining cats and dogs
- (informal) to be raining heavily
(has the) cat got your tongue?
- (informal) said to somebody, especially a child, who stays silent when expected to speak, for example after being asked a question
- What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?
curiosity killed the cat
- (saying) used to tell somebody not to ask questions or try to find out about things that do not involve them
fight like cat and dog (British English)
(North American English fight like cats and dogs)
- (of two people) to be always arguing with each other
- In our childhood Irina and I fought like cat and dog.
let the cat out of the bag
- to tell a secret carelessly or by mistake
- I wanted it to be a surprise, but my sister let the cat out of the bag.
like a cat on a hot tin roof
(British English also like a cat on hot bricks)
- very nervous
- She was like a cat on a hot tin roof before her driving test.
like a cat that’s got the cream (British English)
(US English like the cat that got/ate/swallowed the canary)
- very pleased with yourself synonym smug
- She looked like a cat that’s got the cream. She was almost purring with pleasure.
like herding cats (informal)
- used to describe a very difficult task, especially one that involves organizing people
- Managing a political party is a lot like herding cats.
look like something the cat brought/dragged in
- (informal) (of a person) to look dirty and untidy
no room to swing a cat
- (informal) when somebody says there’s no room to swing a cat, they mean that a room is very small and that there is not enough space
not have/stand a cat in hell’s chance (of doing something)
- (informal) to have no chance at all
play (a game of) cat and mouse with somebody | play a cat-and-mouse game with somebody
- to play a cruel game with somebody in your power by changing your behaviour very often, so that they become nervous and do not know what to expect
- He thought the police were playing some elaborate game of cat and mouse and waiting to trap him.
- Young car thieves enjoy playing cat and mouse with the police.
put/set the cat among the pigeons
- (British English) to say or do something that is likely to cause trouble
- Then she told them she was dropping out of college. That really set the cat among the pigeons.
there’s more than one way to skin a cat
- (saying, humorous) there are many different ways to achieve something
when the cat’s away, the mice will play
- (saying) people enjoy themselves more and behave with greater freedom when the person in charge of them is not there