Words and">and Their Stories: When the Cat’s Away
April 21, 2011
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 he
looks like the cat that ate the canary.
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches.
So if you
play 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 saying
that looks like something the cat dragged in
describes something in bad condition.
Two old and">and funny expressions describe something that is the best or finest. Americans might say that something is
the cat's meow
and
the cat's pajamas.
Children might call a child who is easily frightened a
fraidy cat
or a
scaredy cat
. A
copycat
is someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person's work. A
fat cat
is 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 a
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