you couldnt swing a cat in here

[diddelyo]

what does this saying mean ? surely it doesnt mean a pussy!!

[normabuckley]

it means that its cramped ...or small

[sddsddean]

... but the original meaning comes from the good old Royal Navy, the space in question being too small to swing a cat o' nine tails.

[snook]

Yes, speaking for myself I always prefer to have plenty of elbow room when I'm dishing out a good thrashing, even though I relinquished the use of the cat-o'-nine-tails years ago... (burglars and other vermin, take note!)

[lankeela]

A cat-o-nine-tails is a whip made of nine strands of corded rope used for flogging people. They use ebay these days.

[andy-hughes]

The cat o' nine tails, also known just as 'the cat' was a common deterrent and punishment on the navy sailing ships of yesteryear. It was kept in a canvas bag nailed to the main mast, so all the crew were reminded of its presence. Thus, to get someone into trouble, where punishment was likely, was known as 'letting the cat out of the bag'.

[Altosruleok]

I wouldn't dream of swinging my pussy anwhere!

[BriWrite]

I always believed 'Letting the cat out of the bag' was related to another saying 'Dont buy a pig in a poke'.

People would go to markets to buy piglets and the sellers would have them bound up in sacks, ( A Poke is a small sack) so customers could carry them home more easily. An unscrupulous seller would sometimes put a cat (Much cheaper) in the bag instead of a pig. The warning "Don't buy a pig in a poke" means make sure you're getting what you pay for. experienced people would insist on opening the Bag/Poke and examining the goods, whereupon the the cat would be let out of the bag and the truth revealed.

[snook]

I'm with BriWrite on this, I think it's to do with the pig and the cat too.