No room to swing a cat


An awkward or confined space.

This hotels room is supposed to be for two people! Hardly, there’s not room to swing a cat in here.

Britain, 17th century. Not, as is often believed, derived from the use of the cat o’ nine tails.

Worldwide.

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.