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?

　　你知道在小猫咪们通过它们萌萌的照片和视频入侵互联网之前，这些可爱的小生物们就已经出现在英语口语中的各种成语与表达里了。

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

　　事实上，正如猫咪们是你Facebook和YouTube上的重要一部分那样，它们在英语中也占有一席之地。

　　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.

　　在我看来，如果你不知道几个关于猫的习语，你就不能算是英语流利。今天我们要教你十三个最重要且流行的关于猫的表达，那是每一个英语学习者都需要知道的。

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

　　你的舌头被猫给吃了吗?(说点啥吧!)

　　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.

　　当问某人为什么他不说话时，我们经常说：“你的舌头被猫给吃了(吗)?“。这并不是无礼，而往往是非常有效的沟通。这个表达源自中世纪国王惩罚骗子的手段，他们把骗子的舌头割断，然后喂猫。

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

　　盲目模仿者(抄袭/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.

　　当孩子们之间有人抄袭别人的时候，他们就会称那个抄袭的人为“copy cat”。成人之间有时也会用这个开玩笑。例如，一个年轻的男孩模仿他哥哥的发型就很可能被叫做“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.

　　这是经常用来描述下大雨的天气的。这个表达来源于：猫曾经象征强风，狗曾经象征大雨。

　　4. Scaredy Cat/ Fraidy Cat (coward)

　　胆怯的猫(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”用来描述某人害怕做某件事。“y”这个音节经常被小孩纸使用。成年人也可能用这个来开玩笑。因为，众所周知，猫会害怕、逃避狗，于是孩子们便用这个来取笑他们胆小的同学。

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

　　揭开秘密(不经意的道出秘密)

　　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”是指无意中泄露了秘密。举例来说，你无意中向寿星泄露了将要举行的生日派对。这个成语的由来是这样的：据说是在中世纪的市场，小猪是被放在袋子里出售的，有一次卖方会试图将小猪换成小猫(更便宜)，如果不是有人打开袋子，让猫跑出来(拆穿了奸商的秘密)。

　　6. Fat Cat (rich and powerful person)

　　财势过人的人(有权势的人)

　　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”是口语上用来描述那些拥有大量的财富和权力的人。如果勾勒一个富人的典型形象(至少是传统的)，画面很可能会是一只肥硕的猫而从来不会是精瘦的猫。

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