Has the cat got your tongue?

Posted by Michael sheridan on May 31, 2000

In Reply to: Has the cat got your tongue? posted by ESC on May 27, 2000

: : Still looking for its origin.

: "HAS THE CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE? Why don't you speak? Your silence is suspicious. The saying originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was used when addressing a child who refused to answer a parent's questions after some mischief. Often shortened to `cat got your tongue?'." From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

: It's also used to address a shy child. I think its origin lies in the way of outdoor cats dragging little captives, chipmunks and such, into the house.

Thank You!! ESC, you have most of my answers, I admire you.

  • Has the cat got your tongue? ESC 05/31/00