Cat died?

[WooWoo]

OK, this may be just a Northern thing, but has anyone heard the phrase "His/her cat's died", when referring to someone wearing trousers that are too short for them?

I've never understood why wearing trousers too short for you would imply that your cat's died.  Can anyone shed any light on how this saying originated?!

[commoner]

...hmmm....another way of describing trousers too short is to say they are "at half mast"...may be connected as flags are flown this way when someone dies......???

[efremis]

hmmm similar to "Harry's dead" "So would you be if you've been hanging all day" is a phrase when you see a petticot or slip hanging below the hem line of a skirt,

[Ouisch]

Never heard of any of these...in the case of too-short trousers, we usually ask "expecting a flood?"

[burnhal]

we always used to say that the trousers were at half mast and someone had died

[Kay]

efremis, It was'nt Harry but Charlie. This goes back to the beheading of Charles 1st or 2nd? His loyal ladies used to show the hems of their petticoats long after his death as a tribute to him:---))

[pixi]

hi woowoo yeah ive heard of it, when someones got trousers on that are too short for them we say 'whats up as cat died'  (come from yorkshire)

[louadams6]

you could try http://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html to see if its on there

[BimblePants]

If I saw someone who's trousers were too short, I'd say they "looked driven from home".  I'm from Yorkshire, too, probably a different bit of it from Pixi, as I've not heard of t' cat dying!

[smithsab]

we say, has his budgie died...and its a reference to his trousers being "half mast"

[k8norm]

it might be if your cat dies, then your house will be over run with mice, thereofre to stop them running up your trouser leg, you wear shorter trousers!

[Catlaguapa]

Yeah man! I say this all the time. Its a cool saying and does indeed mean your trousers are too short! Think its definitely a northern thing cos I am from the great North West and live in Reading wher no-one ever knows what I mean when I say it

[B4sketcase]

Hi there, I think it is definatly an 'up north thing' - I'm from lancashire and my Nan used to say that too me all the time as I was growing up.... I'm assuming it would have to be something to do with half mast... but I'd like to know where the cat part came from! :-)