/ kæt; NAmE / noun
1.
a small animal with soft fur that people often keep as a pet. Cats catch and kill birds and mice :
cat food
—see also kitten , tomcat
2.
a wild animal of the cat family :
the big cats (= lions , tigers , etc.)
—see also fat cat , wildcat
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IDIOMS
- be the cat's whiskers / pyjamas
- let the cat out of the bag
- like a cat on hot bricks
- like a cat that's got the cream
- (has the) cat got your tongue?
- look like sth the cat brought / dragged in
- not have / stand a cat in hell's chance (of doing sth)
- play (a game of) cat and mouse with sb | play a cat-and-mouse game with sb
- put / set the cat among the pigeons
- when the cat's away the mice will play
—more at curiosity , rain verb , room noun , way noun
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English catt , catte , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kat and German Katze ; reinforced in Middle English by forms from late Latin cattus .