No Room To Swing A Cat Expression Meaning

If you say there s no room to swing a cat or you can t swing a cat you mean that the place you are talking about is very small or crowded.

No room to swing a cat expression meaning. Translation english cobuild collins dictionary. The theory goes that there was not enough room below deck to whip the sailors as punishment hence the phrase. Many reports claim that the cat in question is the cat o nine tails. No room to swing a cat phrase with brd neg usu v link phr it was described as a large luxury mobile home but there was barely room to swing a cat.

Not enough room to swing a cat very little space cramped quarters as in there s not enough room to swing a cat in this tent. Whether the cat was a real moggy or the flail like whip used to punish sailors in the british navy isn t clear. No room to swing a cat. This expression first recorded in 1771 is thought to allude to the cat o nine tails or cat a whip with nine lashes widely used to punish offenders in the british military.

Swing a cat is used in other negative structures and expressions with a similar meaning. If there is no room to swing a cat in a place it is very small with very little space. See full dictionary entry for cat cobuild advanced english dictionary. What s the origin of the phrase no room to swing a cat.

It was described as a large luxury mobile home but there was barely room to swing a cat. An awkwardly small confined space.