where does cat got your tongue come from

On English sailing ships, anyone entrusted with a secret by a higher officer would be threatened with the cat for telling; thus, the saying ‘has the cat got your tongue? ‘ became slang for ‘are you afraid to tell?

The idiom may also come from the Middle Ages. It was believed that if a person encountered a witch, her black cat would steal his tongue, preventing him from speaking and preventing him from recounting his encounter with the witch.

One speculation is the phrase originated from the Egyptian times. Back then, people who lied would get their tongues severed and given to the cats as a form of punishment.

The last theory claims that it originated when the English Navy punished people with a unique whip known as the “Cat-o’-nine-tails.” It is reported that the pain was so excruciating that the wrongdoer was silent for a while.

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These days, we use the expression “cat got your tongue” in a very playful way. But the origins of the idiom are explained by some rather gloomy theories.

Did it originate on tall ships when sailors would go silent at the prospect of being whipped with a cat o’nine tails, or had it nothing to do with real cats?

Regretfully, the origin of “cat got your tongue” seems like a good one, but if it does, it has been lost. Like fairy tales or children’s nursery rhymes, the phrase might just be a ridiculous fabrication.

The word conjures up an odd image, and it wouldn’t be out of place to assume that its genesis is similarly strange.

According to some, people who offended ancient kings would have their tongues severed and fed to their pet cats as a form of punishment. The theory that the phrase originated during a period of witch-hunting, when panic and terror were common, maintains this gory notion. According to folklore, witches could take a person’s tongue and feed it to their “familiar,” or pet, in order to steal their speech.

“Je jette ma langue au chat,” which translates to “I throw my tongue to the cat,” is a similar French proverb. But this is used to say something like, “I have nothing to say,” rather than criticizing someone for being silent.

FAQ

What’s one of the supposed origins for the phrase cat got your tongue?

This idiom possibly dates to ancient Egypt, where punishment for a crime meant your tongue would be cut out and fed to a cat, and the Middle Ages, when a witch’s cat would steal or paralyze your tongue so that you couldn’t speak.

What is the full phrase of cat got your tongue?

something you say to someone when you are annoyed because they will not speak: What’s the matter? Has the cat got your tongue?

Who made cat got your tongue?

One speculation is the phrase originated from the Egyptian times. In those days, liars would be punished by having their tongues cut out and fed to the cats. The idiom may also come from the Middle Ages.

What figure of speech is cat got your tongue?

‘ cat / cat’s got your tongue: an expression that is used when someone is quiet and isn’t talking or responding when you expect them to. Notes: It isn’t clear exactly where this idiom originated but it’s obvious that it would be difficult to speak if a cat did get your tongue!