Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising that there are many expressions about cats. Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud or satisfied with himself, we say helooks like the cat that ate the canary.
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches.
So if youplay cat and">and mouse with someone, you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother and">and then take it away when he reaches for it.
A cat will often catch a small animal and">and present it to its owner. The sayingthat looks like something the cat dragged indescribes something in bad condition.
Two old and">and funny expressions describe something that is the best or finest. Americans might say that something isthe cat's meowandthe cat's pajamas.
Children might call a child who is easily frightened afraidy cator ascaredy cat. Acopycatis someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person's work. Afat catis a person with a lot of money.
You may have known that cats spend most of their time sleeping. Sometimes people sleep for a short time during the day. This is called acat nap.
If you tell about something that was supposed to be a secret, we say youlet the cat out of the bag. If you are not able to speak or answer a question someone might ask ifthe cat has got your tongue.
Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes?When the cat's away, the mice will playmeans people sometimes misbehave when there is no supervision.
You may have heard this expression:curiosity killed the cat. This means being too concerned about things that are not your business might cause problems.
If your home is very small, you might saythere is not enough room to swing a cat.But you probably should not try this at home!
If you ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something. Cats are not like sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult or impossible job islike herding cats.
We leave you with a song from the musical play, "Cats."
(MUSIC)
This VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25