This podcast is for cat lovers, or anyone who has or has ever had a cat. It’s also for people whose neighbour has a cat or whose friend has a cat. Actually, anyone who wants to speak about cats and be communi-CAT-ive in English will find this episode useful.

Voice message from Mati from Cartagena
Why don’t we do an episode about cats and cat idioms?

Vocabulary
Kitten – a baby cat
Here kitty, kitty! – to call a cat
Whiskers – hair on the cat’s face
Fur – coat of hair
Meow/Miaou/Miaow – the sound a cat makes
Purr – another sound a cat makes (of contentment)
Hiss – a sound of anger
Claw – a cat’s sharp nails
Paw – a cat’s foot
Litter box – where cats go to the toilet
Catnip – a plant that cats love
Scratching post a post for cats to scratch their claws
Pussy – colloquial/childish word for cat; slang word for a woman’s genitals

Idioms

It’s raining cats and dogs – It’s raining heavily

A cat burglar – A burglar who uses stealth and agility to break into buildings

A copy cat – Someone who copies or imitates the actions of another

A fat cat – A rich and powerful person

(A game of) cat and mouse – A situation in which one side is always pursuing the other

No room to swing a cat – A tight or confined space

Cat got your tongue? – Someone who has very little to say for themselves (May have originated from stories of witches whose cats would steal the tongues of their victims to prevent them from telling others)

Cat nap – To sleep or doze for a short time

Like a cat on a hot tin roof – Someone who is agitated, highly nervous, and fidgety

Look what the cat dragged in – A slightly derogatory or playful way to state that someone is a little shabby or not properly dressed for the occasion

There’s more than one way to skin a cat – There are many alternative ways of achieving something.

To have kittens – To be very upset or worried about something

To put a cat a mong the pigeons – A way of saying someone has created an upset or a disturbance

As weak as a kitten – Someone who is fragile or feeble

Not have a cat in hell’s chance – To have absolutely no prospect of doing something—no chance at all (also, ‘to have a snowball in hell’s chance’)

Scaredy cat – A term used playfully to call someone a coward

The cat is out of the bag – the secret is not a secret anymore

Curiosity killed the cat – When someone’s curiosity could get them into trouble

…and now it’s your turn to practise your English.
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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’