Cats.
We love them.
We hate them.
We love to hate them.
Not only have they infiltrated our internet, our lives, and our homes on a global scale, they have also infiltrated our language.
Here are some of the best cat-related expressions from around the world.
Être comme chien et chat
(to be like dog and cat)
French | French speaking countries
Used to describe people who are constantly in conflict, like cats and dogs, that are believed to dislike each other.
Dat maak je de kat wijs
(make the cat believe that)
Dutch | Belgium
If someone says something that’s so obviously untrue or ridiculous, you can even tell your cat about it because it just makes no sense.
Een kat in een zak kopen
(to buy a cat in a bag)
Dutch | Various countries
Buying somehing that ends up being very disappointing
As ons kat een koei was, konnen we ze melken veu de stoof
(If our cat was a cow, we could milk it in front of the hearth)
Dutch | Belgium
Used as a reply when someone says something hypothetical starting with “If”. It expresses something like: “it’s no use thinking that way, because things aren’t that way.”
Il n’y a pas un chat
(there isn’t a cat)
French | Belgium
The place is so empty there’s no one there, not even a cat.
Okači mačku o rep
(hang it on a cat’s tail)
Serbian | Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro
That’s what you say when someone did something that you find pointless or useless.
猫を被る
(to put a cat on )
Japanese | Japan
To pretend to be quiet and nice, often in front of someone you don’t know well.
Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
English | United States
Used to describe someone who is nervous. The imagery is that a cat with a long tail would be in constant danger of having its tail crushed under the moving chairs in a room full of rocking chairs
Donner sa langue au chat
(to give one’s tongue to the cat)
French | French speaking countries
Indicates that you don’t have the answer to a question or don’t want to try to guess it anymore.
Ai descoperit coada pisicii
(to discover the cat’s tail)
Romanian | Romania
To point out something obvious; to speak out a known fact like it was something new or original.