- Meaning
- This idiom is a playful or taunting question asked when someone is unusually silent or unable to respond, implying they’re too shy, surprised, or guilty to speak. It’s used to prompt or tease someone into talking, often in lighthearted or confrontational contexts.
- Origin
- The phrase’s origin is unclear, but it likely emerged in 19th-century Britain or America. One theory links it to the English Navy’s ‘cat-o’-nine-tails’ whip, where victims were silenced by pain or fear. Another suggests it comes from medieval superstitions about cats stealing breath or speech. The earliest known use is in an 1881 *Ballou’s Monthly Magazine*: ‘Has the cat got your tongue?’ By the early 20th century, it was common in English, especially in children’s taunts and informal speech.
- Variants
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- Has the cat got your tongue?
- Cat’s got your tongue?
- Examples
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- Why so quiet? Cat got your tongue?
- When asked about the prank, he froze—cat’s got your tongue, huh?
- Has the cat got your tongue? You haven’t said a word all evening!
- She smirked and asked, ‘Cat got your tongue?’ when he couldn’t answer the question.
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