Did you know that long before cats and kittens[baby cats] invaded the internet with their cute and funny videos (and pictures), these loveable creatures invaded the English language with idioms and expressions?

你知道在小貓咪們通過它們萌萌的照片和視頻入侵互聯網之前，這些可愛的小生物們就已經出現在英語口語中的各種成語與表達里了。

Actually, cats are as much a part of the English language as they are a part of your Facebook and Youtube entertainment.

事實上，正如貓咪們是你Facebook和YouTube上的重要一部分那樣，它們在英語中也占有一席之地。

In my opinion, you aren’t fluent until you know at least a few cat idioms, and today we are going to teach you the thirteen most important and popular cat expressions that every English learner needs to know.

在我看來，如果你不知道幾個關于貓的習語，你就不能算是英語流利。今天我們要教你十三個最重要且流行的關于貓的表達，那是每一個英語學習者都需要知道的。

1. Cat Got Your Tongue? (say something!)

你的舌頭被貓給吃了嗎？（說點啥吧！）

It’s very common to say “(Has a) Cat Got Your Tongue?” when you’re asking somebody why they aren’t speaking. It’s not disrespectful, and is often very effective communication. This expression originates in medieval times when kings punished liars by cutting off their tongues and then feeding it to their cats.

當問某人為什么他不說話時，我們經常說：“你的舌頭被貓給吃了（嗎）？”。這并不是無禮，而往往是非常有效的溝通。這個表達源自中世紀國王懲罰騙子的手段，他們把騙子的舌頭割斷，然后喂貓。

2. A Copycat (a person who copies/imitates another)

盲目模仿者（抄襲/模仿他人的人）

Kids often call each other “copy cat” when somebody copies them, and adults may joke around with this too. For example, a young boy who copies his brother’s haircut may be called a copycat.

當孩子們之間有人抄襲別人的時候，他們就會稱那個抄襲的人為“copy cat”。成人之間有時也會用這個開玩笑。例如，一個年輕的男孩模仿他哥哥的發型就很可能被叫做“copy cat（模仿者）”。

3. It’s Raining Cats and Dogs (it’s raining very hard)

雨下的很大

This is very commonly used to describe the weather when it’s raining hard. The origin of this expression comes from the fact that cats were once known to symbolize strong wind, and dogs symbolized rain.

這是經常用來描述下大雨的天氣的。這個表達來源于：貓曾經象征強風，狗曾經象征大雨。

4. Scaredy Cat/ Fraidy Cat (coward)

膽怯的貓（懦弱的人）

A fraidy or scaredy cat is someone is afraid to do something. The “y” is a diminutive used by kids. Adults may jokingly use these too. Because cats are known to back down (escape, run from) dogs, kids use this to make fun of their scared classmates.“

“A fraidy or scaredy cat”用來描述某人害怕做某件事。“y”這個音節經常被小孩子使用。成年人也可能用這個來開玩笑。因為，眾所周知，貓會害怕、逃避狗，于是孩子們便用這個來取笑他們膽小的同學。

5. Let the Cat Out of The Bag? (accidentally tell a secret)

揭開秘密（不經意的道出秘密）

To let the cat out of the bag is to unintentionally ruin a secret. An example of this might be if you accidentally reveal a surprise birthday party to the person the party is for. The origin of the idiom is said to be in medieval markets when Piglets (baby pigs) were put in a bag to be sold, and every once in a while a seller would try to replace the piglet with a cat (which was cheaper), until somebody would open the bag and let the cat out (ruining the thief’s secret).

"let the cat out of the bag”是指無意中泄露了秘密。舉例來說，你無意中向壽星泄露了將要舉行的生日派對。這個成語的由來是這樣的：據說是在中世紀的市場，小豬是被放在袋子里出售的，有一次賣方會試圖將小豬換成小貓（更便宜），如果不是有人打開袋子，讓貓跑出來（拆穿了奸商的秘密）。

6. Fat Cat (rich and powerful person)

財勢過人的人（有權勢的人）

Fat cat is a colloquial way to describe someone who has a lot of wealth and power. If you think about a stereotypical rich person (at least traditionally), the image may resemble a well-fed cat that is almost never skinny.

“fat cat”是口語上用來描述那些擁有大量的財富和權力的人。如果勾勒一個富人的典型形象（至少是傳統的），畫面很可能會是一只肥碩的貓而從來不會是精瘦的貓。

7. Cat Burlgar (skilled, sneaky burglar/thief)

入室偷盜（偷竊慣犯、入室偷盜的老手）

A Cat Burglar is a thief or robber who robs somebody’s home in a silent and sneaky way. Think of a cat walking in the dark, with ninja-like movements, almost without making a noise.

“A Cat Burglar”是那種會用安靜而狡猾的方式盜竊別人家的小偷或強盜。想象一只在黑暗中行走的貓，它有忍者般的動作，幾乎不不會發出任何聲響。

8. Play Cat and Mouse (to strategically chase, tease, torture)

玩貓捉老鼠的一套（奸詐的追趕，挑釁和折磨）

To play cat and mouse is for somebody or something to chase the other in a very strategic, teasing, and game-like way (like a cat chasing and playing with a mouse). Think of a superhero movie when the villain is chasing an innocent person in a cruel, strategic way.

“play cat and mouse”玩貓捉老鼠的游戲，是指某人或某事用戰略性的手段挑釁和追逐著其他人（就像貓在追老鼠）。想象在一個超級英雄電影里面，反派人物在用各種殘忍狡猾的方式追殺一個無辜善良的人。

9. Look What the Cat Dragged In! (an unpleasant surprise to see you)

看看撞上了哪只討厭貓！（見到你真讓人不痛快）

This is a way to express surprise, and sometimes disgust at a person who shows up. The person may very well haggard (exhausted, dirty, and/or not in the best shape). We may use this in an ironic tone to welcome somebody for a pleasant surprise too. If you have a cat that goes outside, you know that they bring back all kinds of unpleasant things. For example, just yesterday my cat Meru walked in with a pigeon [type of bird] in his mouth.

這是用來表達驚訝，而且有時候是討厭的某人出現時的表達。那個人可能是非常憔悴（筋疲力盡，骯臟，或不在最佳狀態）的。我們也可以使用這種譏諷的口吻來歡迎某人帶給我們的驚喜。如果你的貓走到外面，你肯定知道他們會帶回各種各樣骯臟的東西。例如，昨天我的貓回來的時候，嘴里含著一只鴿子。

10. Cat Fight (fight between two women)

貓打架（兩個女人之間的打架）

Because women often scratch, claw, and yell when they fight, like cats do (that’s the stereotype at least), an intense fight between two women is often called a cat fight (noun).

因為女性打架時，經常（用指甲）劃，抓，喊叫，像貓一樣（這至少是刻板的典型印象），所以兩個女人激烈地打架也經常被稱作“cat fight”。

11. Cool Cat (somebody who is cool and/or popular)

酷貓（耍酷或者追趕潮流的人）

A cool cat is somebody who is hip, cool, and in style. This is basically the definition of the world cool, but that’s an adjective, so to call somebody a cool cat is like saying that he’s a hip/stylish and/or popular guy. Just like Meru in the picture up top, a cool cat is calm, content, and has everything under control.

“A cool cat”經常用來形容那些嬉皮士，耍酷炫酷和追趕潮流的人。這是對“cool”這個詞的基本定義，但這只是一個形容詞，所以稱某人為“cool cat”酷貓，就像是說某人是嘻哈派/有范或者很時髦的人。就如高而冷酷的貓-Meru王子（Meru是動漫作品《Keroro軍曹》劇場版2－《深海的公主》中的一個角色。），他鎮定、滿足而且掌控一切。

12. Catnap (sleep for a short period of time)

貓個盹（小睡片刻）

To take a nap is to sleep for a little bit during the day (up to an hour maybe), so a catnap is an even smaller and lighter period of sleep time, imitating a cat who sleeps for just a few minutes.

“take a nap”是指在白天小憩一會兒（可能最多一個小時），所以“catnap”是指比這更短的睡眠時間，就像貓那樣只睡幾分鐘。

13. Land on Your Feet (recover quickly from a bad experience or obstacle)

站穩腳（迅速從壞的經歷或者障礙中恢復過來）

This one doesn’t have cat in it, but it’s a clear cat metaphor, as cats are famous for landing on their feet when they fall. The same is true for people with resilience (the ability to recover quickly after difficulties) who, like cats, always seem to land on their feet.

這個俗語里面沒有出現“貓”，但卻有一個明顯的關于貓的隱喻，因為貓在跌落時是用腳著陸的。對于那些擁有很強恢復力的人也同樣如此，他們總能在挫折之后迅速恢復，就像貓降落一樣。

（來源：滬江英語  編輯：Julie）