I’m diving into the mysterious origin of the idiom “Cat got your tongue?” Although “Cat got your tongue?” was first recorded in 1881 as a phrase children used, the idiom is thought to date back to the Middle Ages. Join me for a quick history lesson on this still commonly used phrase!
A Witch’s Familiar
In the Middle Ages, cats were commonly associated with witches. A witch’s cat (AKA familiar) was believed to assist in casting spells and acting as spies to gather information. Black cats in particular became closely associated with witchcraft. So, at that time, it was presumed a witch’s cat could steal someone’s voice rendering them speechless.
Egyptian Retribution
Another more disturbing theory takes us to ancient Egypt. Some conclude that during this time as a form of punishment the Egyptians would cut out the tongues of liars or blasphemers. Then they would feed the victims tongue to their loyal cats. This seems unnecessarily brutal but one way to install fear and maintain order I guess.
Cat-O’-Nine-Tails
Last but not least, the phrase Cat got your tongue may not have anything to do with an actual cat at all. Many think that the phrase is tied to the 18 and 19th Century British Navy. In this account, the “cat” refers to the cat-o’-nine-tails whip. A whip (aka cat) that was used for whipping and flogging unruly sailors. The brutal pain this act brought on was believed to be so crippling the victims would not be able to talk. Hence the phrase “cat got your tongue?”.
As captivating as all of these stories are, they are all simply theories. There is no supporting evidence since records of the expression can only be dated back to 1881. This leads many to conclude that it’s just a teasing phrase first used by children.
I’m afraid the actual true origin of this phrase may never be known. But being a little witchy myself, I like to speculate it had to do with a powerful witch’s spell rendering their victim speechless.
I hope you enjoyed this little bit of idiom trivia. If you have your own theory, please comment below and share! Until next time, bye!
~Tina Mae
Sources:
https://www.history.com/articles/cat-got-your-tongue-origins
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