Cat Got Your Tongue Idiom Meaning

Today it is used more generally to ask anyone to speak. Often used on children who are shy or who are being suspiciously silent such as after they have done something wrong and do not want to admit to it.

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However other stories behind the origin of the phrase are a bit less about torture and more about religion.

. This expression is usually addressed as a question. Why arent you saying anything. Titelman Random House New York 1996.

Cat got ones tongue cat got ones tongue A comment made when someone is unaccountably or unusually quiet as in We havent heard from you all morninghas the cat got your tongue. Its usually when the speaker has the upper hand in the conversation and you are at a loss for words. Cat Got Your Tongue stands for Why arent you speaking.

When someone is speechless or without words sometimes out of surprise you will say Cat got your tongue to prompt them to react. Has the cat got your tongue is a light-hearted question addressed to someone who is inexplicably silent. On English sailing ships anyone entrusted with a secret by a higher officer would be threatened with the cat for telling.

However it is unclear exactly how it developed. The origin of the idiom cat got your tongue is an intriguing one. Has the cat got your tongue.

Often put as a question this term originally was used mainly with a child who did something wrong and refused to answer any questions. Cat can look at a king. Used especially in the form of the question has the cat got your tongue I tried asking him about the incident but it seems the cats got his tongue.

ESC youre too modest. Cat Got Your Tongue Meaning. 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.

Often put as a question this term originally was used mainly with a child who did something wrong and refused to answer any questions. 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. Today it is used more generally to ask anyone to speak.

Thus the saying has the cat got your. Some have suggested that ancient kings would punish those who displeased them by cutting out their tongues and feeding them to their pet cats. 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. This expression originated in the 1800s. The implication is that the persons tongue is missing.

The cats got ones tongue. Has the cat got your tongue Chances are youve heard this expression when youve been stumped for something to say. Often put as a question this term originally was used mainly with a child who did something wrong and refused to answer any questions.

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. When spoken to adults it is sometimes humorous and at other times rude. So saying the Cat got your tongue on an English ship meant you were flogged into submission or into silence.

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. Cat got your Tongue. Often shortened to cat got your tongue From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y.

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. Cat and mouse game ofto play. Meaning of Cat Got Your Tongue.

An idiom meaning youre being unusually quiet or aren t saying much. 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. Often put as a question this term originally was used mainly with a child who did something wrong and refused to answer any questions.

Today it is used more generally to ask anyone to speak. The meaning of cat got your tongue Cat got your tongue. The knots in the ropes caused severe bleeding wherever they landed often on the persons chest or back.

This grisly idea persists in the theory that the phrase came from a time of witch-hunting where fear and hysteria abounded. Definition of cat got your tongue. Whats the meaning of the phrase Cat got your tongue.

Cat got ones tongue. It is one of the most commonly used expressions in English writings. Also a euphemism for performing oral sex on a female.

Something you say to someone when you are annoyed because they will not speak. The full form is Has the cat got your tongue but it is often shortened to Cat got your tongue. Origin of Cat Got Your Tongue.

One is unable or unwilling to speak. Used to ask someone why he or she is not saying anything Youve been unusually quiet tonight she said. A question addressed to someone who is inexplicably silent.

Cat cats got your tongue. It suggests that a person cant talk because a cat is holding his or her tongue and preventing speech. This idiom is often accompanied by Whats the matter at the beginning of it.

Explore Urdupoint to find out more popular. Have you ever wondered where the. This expression is simply an inducement to speak.

English Idiom Cat Got Your Tongue English Idioms Idioms Idioms And Phrases