Work in progress
Collecting the most meowgnificent sayings from all over the globe takes time, dedication and hard work. Stay tuned for new idioms.
English
14 sayings
Raining cats and dogs
- Meaning
- Heavy rain
Raining cats and dogs
- Meaning
- Heavy rain
Raining cats and dogs
- Meaning
- Heavy rain
Let the cat out of the bag
- Literally
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Meaning
- To reveal a secret, often unintentionally.
Curiosity killed the cat
- Literally
- Curiosity killed the cat
- Meaning
- Being too inquisitive can lead to trouble. A warning against unnecessary investigation.
Like herding cats
- Literally
- Like herding cats
- Meaning
- An attempt to control a group of unruly or independent people. Describes a frustrating and nearly impossible task.
Not enough room to swing a cat
- Literally
- Not enough room to swing a cat
- Meaning
- A very small space; cramped quarters.
A cat nap
- Literally
- A cat nap
- Meaning
- A short, light sleep, often during the day.
To play cat and mouse
- Literally
- To play cat and mouse
- Meaning
- To tease or torment someone by allowing them to almost achieve a goal, then snatching it away. A game of pursuit where one party deliberately allows the other to think they are winning before frustrating them.
Look what the cat dragged in
- Literally
- Look what the cat dragged in
- Meaning
- Said when someone arrives looking disheveled or in poor condition, or when something undesirable appears.
To bell the cat
- Literally
- To bell the cat
- Meaning
- To attempt a dangerous or impossible task. Originates from a fable about mice trying to find a way to warn each other of the cat's approach.
Grinning like a Cheshire cat
- Literally
- Grinning like a Cheshire cat
- Meaning
- Smiling broadly and mysteriously. Refers to the character from *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland* whose grin remains after the cat disappears.
There's more than one way to skin a cat
- Literally
- There's more than one way to skin a cat
- Meaning
- There are multiple ways to achieve the same goal.
When the cat's away, the mice will play
- Literally
- When the cat's away, the mice will play
- Meaning
- People will misbehave when the authority figure is absent.
French
4 sayings
Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter
- Literally
- Having other cats to whip
- Meaning
- Having better, more important, things to do
Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter
- Literally
- Having other cats to whip
- Meaning
- Having better, more important, things to do. Similar to 'bigger fish to fry'.
Être comme chien et chat
- Literally
- To be like dog and cat
- Meaning
- To be constantly fighting or disagreeing; to be enemies.
Quand le chat n'est pas là, les souris dansent.
- Literally
- When the cat is not there, the mice dance.
- Meaning
- When the boss/authority figure is away, people will misbehave.
Bengali
1 sayings
বিড়ালের গোঁফ
- Literally
- Cat's whiskers
- Meaning
- Something insignificant or trivial. Used to describe something of little value or importance.
Catalan
1 sayings
Quan el gat no hi és, els ratolins fan festa.
- Literally
- When the cat isn't there, the mice have a party.
- Meaning
- People will misbehave when authority is absent; when the boss is away, the employees will play.
German
1 sayings
Die Katze aus dem Sack lassen
- Literally
- To let the cat out of the bag
- Meaning
- To reveal a secret; to let the cat out of the bag.
Spanish
1 sayings
Cuando el gato no está, los ratones bailan
- Literally
- When the cat isn't there, the mice dance
- Meaning
- When the boss/authority figure is away, people will misbehave.
Estonian
2 sayings
Kassi kombel
- Literally
- In a cat-like manner
- Meaning
- Stealthily, cunningly, or gracefully. Describes someone acting with feline agility or slyness.
Kass on läinud
- Literally
- The cat is gone
- Meaning
- Used when someone is not paying attention or has left the room. Similar to 'the cat's away, the mice will play' but simply states the absence.
Finnish
1 sayings
Kissa istuu puussa.
- Literally
- The cat sits in the tree.
- Meaning
- A situation where someone is stuck or in a difficult position, unable to come down or resolve something. Similar to 'up a creek without a paddle'.
Hebrew
1 sayings
כמו חתול וכלב
- Literally
- Like a cat and a dog
- Meaning
- Describes a relationship characterized by constant fighting and animosity. Equivalent to the English idiom 'like cats and dogs'.
Hindi
1 sayings
बिल्ली के गले में घंटी बांधना
- Literally
- To tie a bell around a cat's neck
- Meaning
- To keep a close watch on someone, to keep someone under surveillance. It implies trying to control someone's movements or actions.
Croatian
1 sayings
Kad mačka nije kod kuće
- Literally
- When the cat is not at home
- Meaning
- When the cat's away, the mice will play; used to describe a situation where people misbehave when the authority figure is absent.
Italian
3 sayings
Essere come cane e gatto
- Literally
- To be like dog and cat
- Meaning
- To be constantly fighting or disagreeing; to be like cats and dogs.
Non c'è trippa per gatti
- Literally
- There's no tripe for cats
- Meaning
- There's nothing doing; no way; not a chance. (Originally referred to a time when tripe was considered a delicacy for cats, so if there was no tripe, they got nothing.)
Quando il gatto non c'è, i topi ballano
- Literally
- When the cat's away, the mice dance
- Meaning
- When the boss is away, the employees will misbehave; similar to the English equivalent.
Korean
3 sayings
고양이 목에 방울 달기
- Literally
- To tie a bell around a cat's neck
- Meaning
- To attempt an impossible or impractical task; to undertake a venture doomed to failure. It refers to the difficulty of getting cats to cooperate, as they'd immediately remove the bell.
고양이 세 마리
- Literally
- Three cats
- Meaning
- Used to describe a situation where there's a lot of arguing or bickering, similar to 'catfighting'. It implies a noisy and chaotic disagreement.
쥐 잡는 고양이
- Literally
- A cat that catches mice
- Meaning
- A capable and efficient person; someone who gets the job done. It refers to a cat's natural skill in hunting.
Latvian
1 sayings
Kaķa ausis
- Literally
- Cat's ears
- Meaning
- To be very attentive or have good hearing; to be a good listener.
Norwegian Bokmål
2 sayings
Å kjøpe katta i sekken
- Literally
- To buy the cat in the bag
- Meaning
- To buy a pig in a poke; to buy something without inspecting it properly, potentially getting something undesirable.
Når katten er borte, danser musene på bordet
- Literally
- When the cat is away, the mice dance on the table
- Meaning
- When the boss/authority figure is away, people will misbehave or take liberties.
Dutch
1 sayings
De kat uit de boom kijken
- Literally
- To watch the cat out of the tree
- Meaning
- To wait and see how things develop before taking action; to be cautious and observe before committing.
Norwegian
2 sayings
Å kjøpe katta i sekken
- Literally
- To buy the cat in the bag
- Meaning
- To buy a pig in a poke; to buy something without inspecting it first, potentially getting something undesirable.
Når katten er borte, danser musene på bordet
- Literally
- When the cat is away, the mice dance on the table
- Meaning
- When the boss/authority figure is away, people will misbehave.
Polish
3 sayings
Jak kot z psem
- Literally
- Like a cat and a dog
- Meaning
- To be constantly fighting or at odds with each other; to have a very strained relationship. Equivalent to the English idiom.
Kupować kota w worku
- Literally
- To buy a cat in a sack
- Meaning
- To buy a pig in a poke; to buy something without inspecting it first, risking getting something undesirable.
Gdy kota nie ma, myszy harcują.
- Literally
- When the cat's away, the mice will play.
- Meaning
- People will misbehave when the authority figure is absent. Equivalent to the English idiom.
Romanian
1 sayings
Pisica neagră
- Literally
- Black cat
- Meaning
- Bad luck; an omen of misfortune (though this is becoming less common as a strong belief).
Russian
3 sayings
Как кошка с собакой
- Literally
- Like a cat and a dog
- Meaning
- Describes a relationship characterized by constant fighting and animosity. Equivalent to the English idiom 'like cats and dogs'.
Умывать кота
- Literally
- To wash a cat
- Meaning
- To waste effort on something pointless or someone ungrateful. The implication is cats don't *like* being washed, so it's a futile task.
Кот наплакал
- Literally
- The cat cried
- Meaning
- A very small amount, barely enough. Implies something is insignificant or pathetic. Similar to 'a drop in the bucket'.
Slovenian
1 sayings
Imeti mačje oči.
- Literally
- To have cat eyes.
- Meaning
- To have sharp, piercing eyes, often associated with being observant or cunning.
Serbian
1 sayings
Kad mačka nije kod kuće
- Literally
- When the cat is not at home
- Meaning
- When the cat's away, the mice will play. Used to describe a situation where people misbehave when authority is absent.
Swedish
1 sayings
När katten är borta dansar råttorna på bordet
- Literally
- When the cat's away, the mice dance on the table
- Meaning
- When the boss/authority figure is away, people will misbehave or take liberties.
Thai
4 sayings
หน้าแมว
- Literally
- Cat face
- Meaning
- Used to describe someone who is sly, cunning, or has a mischievous expression. It implies a deceptive or untrustworthy nature.
แมวเก้าชีวิต
- Literally
- Cat nine lives
- Meaning
- Similar to the English idiom, it refers to someone who is very lucky or has a remarkable ability to survive difficult situations. It implies resilience and a knack for escaping danger.
ปล่อยแมว
- Literally
- Release the cat
- Meaning
- To let something slip, to reveal a secret unintentionally. It's like letting the cat out of the bag.
ขี้แมว
- Literally
- Cat poop
- Meaning
- Used to describe something worthless or of very low quality. It's a derogatory term for something insignificant.
Ukrainian
2 sayings
Як кіт наплакав
- Literally
- Like a cat cried
- Meaning
- Very little, a tiny amount. Used to express that something is insignificant or barely exists.
Як кіт з собакою
- Literally
- Like a cat and a dog
- Meaning
- Describes a relationship characterized by constant fighting and animosity. Equivalent to the English idiom 'like cats and dogs'.
Vietnamese
2 sayings
Mèo già hóa cáo.
- Literally
- An old cat becomes a fox.
- Meaning
- An old, cunning person is even more sly and difficult to deal with. It suggests that experience makes someone more deceptive.
Con mèo đen đi qua.
- Literally
- A black cat passes by.
- Meaning
- This is a superstitious saying, similar to the English 'black cat crossing your path'. It's considered bad luck.