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Did you know that long before cats and kittens[baby cats] invaded the internet with their cute and funny videos (and pictures), these loveable creatures invaded the English language with idioms and expressions?

你知道在小猫咪们通过它们萌萌的照片和视频入侵互联网之前，这些可爱的小生物们就已经出现在英语口语中的各种成语与表达里了。

Actually, cats are as much a part of the English language as they are a part of your Facebook and Youtube entertainment.

事实上，正如猫咪们是你Facebook和YouTube上的重要一部分那样，它们在英语中也占有一席之地。

In my opinion, you aren’t fluent until you know at least a few cat idioms, and today we are going to teach you the thirteen most important and popular cat expressions that every English learner needs to know.

在我看来，如果你不知道几个关于猫的习语，你就不能算是英语流利。今天我们要教你十三个最重要且流行的关于猫的表达，那是每一个英语学习者都需要知道的。

1. Cat Got Your Tongue? (say something!)

你的舌头被猫给吃了吗？（说点啥吧！）

It’s very common to say “(Has a) Cat Got Your Tongue?” when you’re asking somebody why they aren’t speaking. It’s not disrespectful, and is often very effective communication. This expression originates in medieval times when kings punished liars by cutting off their tongues and then feeding it to their cats.

当问某人为什么他不说话时，我们经常说：“你的舌头被猫给吃了（吗）？”。这并不是无礼，而往往是非常有效的沟通。这个表达源自中世纪国王惩罚骗子的手段，他们把骗子的舌头割断，然后喂猫。

2. A Copycat (a person who copies/imitates another)

盲目模仿者（抄袭/模仿他人的人）

Kids often call each other “copy cat” when somebody copies them, and adults may joke around with this too. For example, a young boy who copies his brother’s haircut may be called a copycat.

当孩子们之间有人抄袭别人的时候，他们就会称那个抄袭的人为“copy cat”。成人之间有时也会用这个开玩笑。例如，一个年轻的男孩模仿他哥哥的发型就很可能被叫做“copy cat（模仿者）”。

3. It’s Raining Cats and Dogs (it’s raining very hard)

雨下的很大

This is very commonly used to describe the weather when it’s raining hard. The origin of this expression comes from the fact that cats were once known to symbolize strong wind, and dogs symbolized rain.

这是经常用来描述下大雨的天气的。这个表达来源于：猫曾经象征强风，狗曾经象征大雨。

4. Scaredy Cat/ Fraidy Cat (coward)

胆怯的猫（懦弱的人）

A fraidy or scaredy cat is someone is afraid to do something. The “y” is a diminutive used by kids. Adults may jokingly use these too. Because cats are known to back down (escape, run from) dogs, kids use this to make fun of their scared classmates.“

“A fraidy or scaredy cat”用来描述某人害怕做某件事。“y”这个音节经常被小孩子使用。成年人也可能用这个来开玩笑。因为，众所周知，猫会害怕、逃避狗，于是孩子们便用这个来取笑他们胆小的同学。

5. Let the Cat Out of The Bag? (accidentally tell a secret)

揭开秘密（不经意的道出秘密）

To let the cat out of the bag is to unintentionally ruin a secret. An example of this might be if you accidentally reveal a surprise birthday party to the person the party is for. The origin of the idiom is said to be in medieval markets when Piglets (baby pigs) were put in a bag to be sold, and every once in a while a seller would try to replace the piglet with a cat (which was cheaper), until somebody would open the bag and let the cat out (ruining the thief’s secret).

"let the cat out of the bag”是指无意中泄露了秘密。举例来说，你无意中向寿星泄露了将要举行的生日派对。这个成语的由来是这样的：据说是在中世纪的市场，小猪是被放在袋子里出售的，有一次卖方会试图将小猪换成小猫（更便宜），如果不是有人打开袋子，让猫跑出来（拆穿了奸商的秘密）。

6. Fat Cat (rich and powerful person)

财势过人的人（有权势的人）

Fat cat is a colloquial way to describe someone who has a lot of wealth and power. If you think about a stereotypical rich person (at least traditionally), the image may resemble a well-fed cat that is almost never skinny.

“fat cat”是口语上用来描述那些拥有大量的财富和权力的人。如果勾勒一个富人的典型形象（至少是传统的），画面很可能会是一只肥硕的猫而从来不会是精瘦的猫。

7. Cat Burlgar (skilled, sneaky burglar/thief)

入室偷盗（偷窃惯犯、入室偷盗的老手）

A Cat Burglar is a thief or robber who robs somebody’s home in a silent and sneaky way. Think of a cat walking in the dark, with ninja-like movements, almost without making a noise.

“A Cat Burglar”是那种会用安静而狡猾的方式盗窃别人家的小偷或强盗。想象一只在黑暗中行走的猫，它有忍者般的动作，几乎不不会发出任何声响。

8. Play Cat and Mouse (to strategically chase, tease, torture)

玩猫捉老鼠的一套（奸诈的追赶，挑衅和折磨）

To play cat and mouse is for somebody or something to chase the other in a very strategic, teasing, and game-like way (like a cat chasing and playing with a mouse). Think of a superhero movie when the villain is chasing an innocent person in a cruel, strategic way.

“play cat and mouse”玩猫捉老鼠的游戏，是指某人或某事用战略性的手段挑衅和追逐着其他人（就像猫在追老鼠）。想象在一个超级英雄电影里面，反派人物在用各种残忍狡猾的方式追杀一个无辜善良的人。

9. Look What the Cat Dragged In! (an unpleasant surprise to see you)

看看撞上了哪只讨厌猫！（见到你真让人不痛快）

This is a way to express surprise, and sometimes disgust at a person who shows up. The person may very well haggard (exhausted, dirty, and/or not in the best shape). We may use this in an ironic tone to welcome somebody for a pleasant surprise too. If you have a cat that goes outside, you know that they bring back all kinds of unpleasant things. For example, just yesterday my cat Meru walked in with a pigeon [type of bird] in his mouth.

这是用来表达惊讶，而且有时候是讨厌的某人出现时的表达。那个人可能是非常憔悴（筋疲力尽，肮脏，或不在最佳状态）的。我们也可以使用这种讥讽的口吻来欢迎某人带给我们的惊喜。如果你的猫走到外面，你肯定知道他们会带回各种各样肮脏的东西。例如，昨天我的猫回来的时候，嘴里含着一只鸽子。

10. Cat Fight (fight between two women)

猫打架（两个女人之间的打架）

Because women often scratch, claw, and yell when they fight, like cats do (that’s the stereotype at least), an intense fight between two women is often called a cat fight (noun).

因为女性打架时，经常（用指甲）划，抓，喊叫，像猫一样（这至少是刻板的典型印象），所以两个女人激烈地打架也经常被称作“cat fight”。

11. Cool Cat (somebody who is cool and/or popular)

酷猫（耍酷或者追赶潮流的人）

A cool cat is somebody who is hip, cool, and in style. This is basically the definition of the world cool, but that’s an adjective, so to call somebody a cool cat is like saying that he’s a hip/stylish and/or popular guy. Just like Meru in the picture up top, a cool cat is calm, content, and has everything under control.

“A cool cat”经常用来形容那些嬉皮士，耍酷炫酷和追赶潮流的人。这是对“cool”这个词的基本定义，但这只是一个形容词，所以称某人为“cool cat”酷猫，就像是说某人是嘻哈派/有范或者很时髦的人。就如高而冷酷的猫-Meru王子（Meru是动漫作品《Keroro军曹》剧场版2－《深海的公主》中的一个角色。），他镇定、满足而且掌控一切。

12. Catnap (sleep for a short period of time)

猫个盹（小睡片刻）

To take a nap is to sleep for a little bit during the day (up to an hour maybe), so a catnap is an even smaller and lighter period of sleep time, imitating a cat who sleeps for just a few minutes.

“take a nap”是指在白天小憩一会儿（可能最多一个小时），所以“catnap”是指比这更短的睡眠时间，就像猫那样只睡几分钟。

13. Land on Your Feet (recover quickly from a bad experience or obstacle)

站稳脚（迅速从坏的经历或者障碍中恢复过来）

This one doesn’t have cat in it, but it’s a clear cat metaphor, as cats are famous for landing on their feet when they fall. The same is true for people with resilience (the ability to recover quickly after difficulties) who, like cats, always seem to land on their feet.

这个俗语里面没有出现“猫”，但却有一个明显的关于猫的隐喻，因为猫在跌落时是用脚着陆的。对于那些拥有很强恢复力的人也同样如此，他们总能在挫折之后迅速恢复，就像猫降落一样。

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