cat

[kat] /kæt/
noun
1.
a small domesticated carnivore, Felis domestica or F. catus, bred in a number of varieties.
2.
any of several carnivores of the family Felidae, as the lion, tiger, leopard or jaguar, etc.
3.
Slang.
  1. a person, especially a man.
  2. a devotee of jazz.
4.
a woman given to spiteful or malicious gossip.
5.
the fur of the domestic cat.
6.
a cat-o'-nine-tails.
7.
Games.
  1. Chiefly British. the tapering piece of wood used in the game of tipcat.
  2. Chiefly British. the game itself.
  3. four old cat, one old cat, three old cat, two old cat.
8.
a catboat.
9.
a catamaran.
10.
a catfish.
11.
Nautical. a tackle used in hoisting an anchor to the cathead.
12.
a double tripod having six legs but resting on only three no matter how it is set down, usually used before or over a fire.
13.
Navy Informal. catapult (def 2).
14.
(in medieval warfare) a movable shelter for providing protection when approaching a fortification.
verb (used with object), catted, catting.
15.
to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails.
16.
Nautical. to hoist (an anchor) and secure to a cathead.
verb (used without object), catted, catting.
17.
British Slang. to vomit.
Verb phrases
18.
cat around, Slang.
  1. to spend one's time aimlessly or idly.
  2. to seek sexual activity indiscriminately; tomcat.
Idioms
19.
bell the cat, to attempt something formidable or dangerous.
20.
let the cat out of the bag, to divulge a secret, especially inadvertently or carelessly:
He let the cat out of the bag, and the surprise party wasn't a surprise after all.
Origin
before 900; Middle English cat, catte, Old English catt (masculine), catte (feminine); cognate with Old Frisian, Middle Dutch katte, Old High German kazza, Old Norse kǫttr, Irish cat, Welsh cath (Slavic *kotŭ, Lithuanian katė̃ perhaps < Gmc), Late Latin cattus, catta (first attested in the 4th century, presumably with the introduction of domestic cats); ultimately origin obscure
British Dictionary definitions for let the cat out of the bag

cat1

/kæt/
noun
1.
Also called domestic cat. a small domesticated feline mammal, Felis catus (or domesticus), having thick soft fur and occurring in many breeds in which the colour of the fur varies greatly: kept as a pet or to catch rats and mice
2.
Also called big cat. any of the larger felines, such as a lion or tiger
3.
any wild feline mammal of the genus Felis, such as the lynx or serval, resembling the domestic cat related adjective feline
4.
(old-fashioned) a woman who gossips maliciously
5.
(slang) a man; guy
6.
(nautical) a heavy tackle for hoisting an anchor to the cathead
7.
a short sharp-ended piece of wood used in the game of tipcat
8.
short for catboat
9.
(informal) short for Caterpillar
10.
short for cat-o'-nine-tails
11.
(Irish, informal) a bag of cats, a bad-tempered person: she's a real bag of cats this morning
12.
fight like Kilkenny cats, to fight until both parties are destroyed
13.
let the cat out of the bag, to disclose a secret, often by mistake
14.
like a cat on a hot tin roof, like a cat on hot bricks, in an uneasy or agitated state
15.
like cat and dog, quarrelling savagely
16.
look like something the cat brought in, to appear dishevelled or bedraggled
17.
not a cat in hell's chance, no chance at all
18.
not have room to swing a cat, to have very little space
19.
play cat and mouse, to play with a person or animal in a cruel or teasing way, esp before a final act of cruelty or unkindness
20.
put the cat among the pigeons, to introduce some violently disturbing new element
21.
rain cats and dogs, to rain very heavily
verb cats, catting, catted
22.
(transitive) to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails
23.
(transitive) (nautical) to hoist (an anchor) to the cathead
24.
(intransitive) a slang word for vomit
Derived Forms
catlike, adjective
cattish, adjective
Word Origin
Old English catte, from Latin cattus; related to Old Norse köttr, Old High German kazza, Old French chat, Russian kot

cat2

/kæt/
noun
1.
(informal) short for catamaran (sense 1)

cat3

/kæt/
noun
1.
  1. short for catalytic converter
  2. (as modifier): a cat car
adjective
2.
short for catalytic a cat cracker

CAT

abbreviation
1.
computer-aided teaching
2.
computer-assisted trading
Word Origin and History for let the cat out of the bag

cat

n.

Old English catt (c.700), from West Germanic (c.400-450), from Proto-Germanic *kattuz (cf. Old Frisian katte, Old Norse köttr, Dutch kat, Old High German kazza, German Katze), from Late Latin cattus.

The near-universal European word now, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta (Martial, c.75 C.E.), Byzantine Greek katta (c.350) and was in general use on the continent by c.700, replacing Latin feles. Probably ultimately Afro-Asiatic (cf. Nubian kadis, Berber kadiska, both meaning "cat"). Arabic qitt "tomcat" may be from the same source. Cats were domestic in Egypt from c.2000 B.C.E., but not a familiar household animal to classical Greeks and Romans. The nine lives have been proverbial since at least 1560s.

The Late Latin word also is the source of Old Irish and Gaelic cat, Welsh kath, Breton kaz, Italian gatto, Spanish gato, French chat (12c.). Independent, but ultimately from the same source are words in the Slavic group: Old Church Slavonic kotuka, kotel'a, Bulgarian kotka, Russian koška, Polish kot, along with Lithuanian kate and non-Indo-European Finnish katti, which is from Lithuanian.

Extended to lions, tigers, etc. c.1600. As a term of contempt for a woman, from early 13c. Slang sense of "prostitute" is from at least c.1400. Slang sense of "fellow, guy," is from 1920, originally in U.S. Black English; narrower sense of "jazz enthusiast" is recorded from 1931.

Cat's paw (1769, but cat's foot in the same sense, 1590s) refers to old folk tale in which the monkey tricks the cat into pawing chestnuts from a fire; the monkey gets the nuts, the cat gets a burnt paw. Cat bath "hurried or partial cleaning" is from 1953. Cat burglar is from 1907, so called for stealth. Cat-witted "small-minded, obstinate, and spiteful" (1670s) deserved to survive. For Cat's meow, cat's pajamas, see bee's knees.

CAT

1975, medical acronym for computerized axial tomography or something like it. Related: CAT scan.

let the cat out of the bag in Medicine

CAT abbr.
computerized axial tomography

let the cat out of the bag in Culture

let the cat out of the bag definition


To disclose a secret: “The mayor's visit was to be kept strictly confidential, but someone must have let the cat out of the bag, because the airport was swarming with reporters.”

Slang definitions & phrases for let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

verb phrase

To reveal a secret, usually without intending to: Her guilty smile pretty much let the cat out of the bag (1760+)


cat 2

noun

A bulldozer or Caterpillar tractor

[1940s+; fr Caterpillar, trademark for a kind of continuous-track tractor]


cat 3

noun

A catamaran boat (1960s+)


Cat

noun

A Cadillac: Tia Juana pulled up in his long green Cat (1940s+ Black)


cat 1

noun
  1. A hobo or a migrant worker (1890s+ Hoboes)
  2. A prostitute (1535+)
  3. The vulva; pussy (1730s+)
  4. A woman who, often subtly, attacks and denigrates other women; a spiteful and malicious woman: Dorothy Parker was a super cat (1760s+)
  5. A man who dresses flashily and ostentatiously pursues worldly pleasure; dude, hepcat, sport: I was a sharp cat/ The cool chick down on Calumet has got herself a brand new cat (1950s+ Black & teenagers)
  6. A jazz musician: It was all right to the early cats (1920s+ Jazz musicians)
  7. hipster (1960s+)
  8. Any man; fellow; guy: Who's that cat sitting next to the Pope? (1940s+)
  9. A sailboat with one fore-and-aft sail; a catboat: He sails a little cat (1880s+)
  10. Metcathenone, an addictive synthetic narcotic similar to but more powerful than cocaine: For a few hundred dollars, dealers can produce thousands of dollars' worth of cat (1990s+)
verb
  1. (also cat around) To spend time with women for amatory purposes; chase and stalk women; tomcat (1725+)
  2. To move stealthily: began to cat toward the door (1960s+ Black)
  3. To loaf and idle; spend one's time on street corners admiring young women (1920s+)
Related Terms

alley cat, ash cat, fat cat, fraidy cat, hellcat, hepcat, hip cat, kick at the cat, let the cat out of the bag

[black sense, ''dude,'' may be influenced by a Wolof term]


Related Abbreviations for let the cat out of the bag

cat

cataract

CAT

  1. Caterpillar Inc.
  2. clear air turbulence
  3. computerized axial tomography
Idioms and Phrases with let the cat out of the bag

let the cat out of the bag

Give away a secret, as in Mom let the cat out of the bag and told us Karen was engaged. This expression alludes to the dishonest practice of a merchant substituting a worthless cat for a valuable pig, which is discovered only when the buyer gets home and opens the bag. [ Mid-1700s ]
Also see: pig in a poke

cat

In addition to the idioms beginning with cat
cat got one's tongue
also see: