not enough room to swing a cat
名词 n.
英文释义
名词 n.
-
Very little space (available) (of a very small room).
— 1665, Richard Kephale Medela Pestilentiae They had not space enough (according to the vulgar saying) to swing a Cat in.
词源
Attested 1665, by which point already in common use; perhaps of naval slang origin.
While it is frequently stated that the phrase is derived from cat-o’-nine-tails (“type of whip”), this latter term is only attested from 1695, and hence this idiom presumably derived from literally swinging a cat around, as by the tail.
While it is frequently stated that the phrase is derived from cat-o’-nine-tails (“type of whip”), this latter term is only attested from 1695, and hence this idiom presumably derived from literally swinging a cat around, as by the tail.
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数据来源: Wiktionary