ChatterBank5 mins ago
Sayings cat's got your tongue
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Where does the saying "the cat's got your tongue" come from
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Oh, dear! Dave Wilton would be mortified to hear you think his answer is worth only one star!
His site did tell you that the earliest recorded use of the phrase dates back only to 1911. That was in a book called Bob Hardwick by HH Harper and published in that year. It contains these words: "I was so angry that I made no answer. Presently, she said, 'Has the cat got your tongue?'"
In a sense, therefore, that's possibly where the saying came from, as there is no evidence of its ever having appeared anywhere else before.
He also pointed out that the phrase is probably connected to the general mythology surrounding cats, the idea in this case being that the family cat had snatched the tongue away as if it were a piece of stray meat it had found on the floor. I say 'family' cat, as this is a saying generally used by parents to their children rather than from one adult to another.
His site did tell you that the earliest recorded use of the phrase dates back only to 1911. That was in a book called Bob Hardwick by HH Harper and published in that year. It contains these words: "I was so angry that I made no answer. Presently, she said, 'Has the cat got your tongue?'"
In a sense, therefore, that's possibly where the saying came from, as there is no evidence of its ever having appeared anywhere else before.
He also pointed out that the phrase is probably connected to the general mythology surrounding cats, the idea in this case being that the family cat had snatched the tongue away as if it were a piece of stray meat it had found on the floor. I say 'family' cat, as this is a saying generally used by parents to their children rather than from one adult to another.