Cat idioms / Идиомы со словом "кошка"


There isn't enough room to swing a cat (досл. даже кошке не протиснуться; мало места, повернуться негде; яблоку негде упасть)

To let the cat out of the bag (досл. кошку выпустили из мешка; тайное стало явным; о чем-то, что уже не секрет; проболтаться)

To put a cat among the pigeons (досл. оставить кошку среди голубей; пустить козла в огород; пустить лисицу в курятник)

   Hello, I’m a very interesting and intelligent man.
   And this is Tinkles, who, like me, is an excellent teacher of English. Well, she is my cat... I bet you’ve never been taught by a cat before. We live together in this house. Small, isn’t it?
   Not much room for Tinkles and me.
In fact there isn’t enough room to swing a cat. In English, if a room or a space is very small, we can say there isn’t enough room to swing a cat.
   There isn’t enough room to swing a cat. Unlike here, where there’s plenty of room, isn’t that right Tinkles? I’ve got something to tell you... It’s a bit of a secret. Tinkles? Tinkles?
   Oh, so you know my little secret already... Who let the cat out of the bag? In English, if someone lets a secret be known, especially by mistake, we can say they let the cat out of the bag. To let the cat out of the bag.
   Anyway, you are all invited... to Tinkles’s wedding.
   Cats… Little cuties, aren’t they?
   But never forget that underneath all that fluff they are vicious hunters. So, it’s not a good idea to put Tinkles with this lot.
   In English, if there's something which causes trouble or makes people very angry we say it put a cat among the pigeons. To put a cat among the pigeons.
   Like when I told my students I’d spent the whole year preparing them for the wrong exam. That put the cat among the pigeons. Ah, they hated me so much, ha, ha, silly me.



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