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to cat

to cat

1 9.9
To beat someone with a nine-cord whip as punishment
  • verb
  • /kæt/
  • NSFW
: azotar
  • In the old navy, they would cat sailors for serious infractions.

Examples

  • He was threatened with being catted if he disobeyed the officer's orders.

  • The sailor was catted for his disobedience.

  • The captain ordered the men to cat the thief before the whole crew.

  • They cat the crew for their misconduct!

  • In the past, sailors knew that failure to follow orders could result in being catted by the captain.

  • The punishment for insubordination in the navy was to cat the offending sailor as a warning to others.

  • To maintain discipline, the officers would threaten to cat any crew member who disobeyed their commands.

Idioms

A humorous remark to greet someone who arrives unexpectedly or looking messy

To tell a secret that should be kept

3 5.7

A secret people now know

1 9.9

To be very quiet when other people expect you to speak

A person who looks very pleased because they have a secret success

1 9.6

Nervous and unable to stay still

1 9.9

A thing or deal you accept before you know its real value that often turns out disappointing

Very different from each other in important ways

to bell the cat
  • Informal
1 9.9

To take on a difficult or risky task that others refuse to do

1 7.8

To be very funny in a silly way that makes people laugh

Very nervous and unable to stay still because of worry or excitement

To smile in a proud, secret way because you feel pleased with yourself

To say or do something that causes strong reactions and confusion among people

To wait and see how a situation turns out before deciding

to whip the cat
  • Informal
9.9

To do small fun things to stop worrying

Phrasal Verbs

1 7.4

To remove a cat's claws by surgery

Compounds

CAT scan
  • Specialized
40 3.2

A medical test that makes detailed pictures of the inside of the body using X-rays

36 1.0

Food made for cats to eat

kitty-cat
  • Baby Talk
30 3.5

A pet cat people call in a friendly way to children

fat cat
  • Offensive
30 6.3

A rich, powerful person who seems greedy and has too much power

20 2.8

Large wild cats like lions or tigers that can roar

cat and mouse
  • Baby Talk
17 5.0

A children's game where players hold hands in a circle and try to catch someone inside

13 7.1

A person who quietly climbs into buildings through upper windows or roofs to steal things

12 1.3

A cat that has no owner and lives outside

cat lady
  • Offensive
10 7.3

A woman who owns many cats and often seems socially awkward

10 1.0

A small cat kept as a pet in a home

8 2.9

A cat with no home that lives on the streets

cool cat
  • Archaic
7 8.4

A person who is stylish, confident, and relaxed

Cheshire cat
  • Literature
6 7.9

A cat in a story with a wide, strange smile that can disappear

jungle cat
  • Indian
5 6.7

A medium-sized wild cat that lives near rivers and in grasslands in Asia and northeastern Africa

cat box
  • US
5 1.0

A box filled with litter that a cat uses as a toilet indoors

cat piss
  • Vulgar
5 8.2

A strong, bad smell from cat pee

4 4.2

A tight one-piece outfit that covers the body for dance or performance

3 1.0

A small furry animal people keep as a pet that often catches mice

3 1.0

A small cut on the skin from a cat's claws

fraidy-cat
  • Informal
3 8.1

A person who gets scared easily

2 1.5

A long-haired cat with a round face, short nose, and calm nature

2 1.0

A domestic cat with striped or spotted fur often with an M mark on the forehead

top cat
  • Informal
2 7.5

A person who is in charge of a group and makes the main decisions

2 1.0

A slim short-haired cat with blue eyes and a pale body with darker ears, face, paws, and tail tip

1 8.1

A raccoon-like animal from Mexico and southwestern US with a long bushy tail with black-and-white rings

1 9.9

A whip with nine knotted cords used to beat people as punishment, often on ships or in prisons

1 1.3

A cat with patches of black, white and orange fur

CAT scanner
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A machine that makes detailed pictures of the inside of the body using X-ray images from different angles

1 6.7

A medium wild cat from Central and South America with dark stripes that lives in forests

1 5.3

A house cat from Egypt that people kept and loved long ago

1 9.3

A short rise in price after a long fall that then goes down again

Sno-cat
  • Specialized
1 8.7

A vehicle that moves on snow using wide tracks and sometimes skis to carry people or goods

1 5.0

A small insect that lives on cats and other animals and drinks their blood

true cat
  • Specialized
1 2.7

A small animal like a house cat or wildcat that cannot roar, unlike lions

1 9.9

A large reddish-brown mammal like a raccoon that lives in trees in Southeast Asia

1 8.6

A small wild cat that lives in hot, dry deserts and has thick fur on its paws

A slender short-haired cat with brown fur and a reddish undercoat

1 9.9

Small wild cat with long body and tail that looks like a weasel and lives in tropical Americas

1 8.4

A small cat-like animal from Asia or Africa that makes a strong smell used in perfume

1 6.2

A common North American freshwater catfish often caught for food

1 3.0

A cat that lives outdoors and is cared for by people in the neighborhood

1 9.1

A large dark brown North American animal that climbs trees to hunt small animals

1 1.8

A domestic cat with dark stripes like a tiger

A domestic cat with black, orange, and cream patches of fur

1 6.8

Large catfish with bluish skin that lives in the Mississippi valley

1 6.5

A large tree squirrel from eastern North America with a bushy tail

1 9.1

A small wild cat from Central and South America that is active at night and has dark spots

1 6.3

A small wild cat that lives mainly in trees

1 1.5

A house cat with short hair, a compact body, and a solid dark brown or grey coat

1 7.5

A person who breeds and cares for cats as a hobby

A domestic cat with long, soft fur

1 8.6

A small wild mammal like a weasel that lives in trees and hunts small animals

leopard cat
  • Indian
1 7.4

A small wild cat from Southeast Asia with spots like a leopard

1 3.4

A long-haired domestic cat with a thin body and silky fur from Turkey

native cat
  • Australian
1 9.2

A small Australian animal that looks like a cat and carries its babies in a pouch

1 8.8

A large freshwater catfish with long whiskers and blue-gray color that lives in the Mississippi River

1 4.5

A type of cat with a very short or no tail

cat shark
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A small shark that lives on the sea floor and has eyes like a cat

1 8.4

A small reddish-brown animal like a raccoon that lives in the eastern Himalayas and eats bamboo

cat scratch disease
  • Specialized
1 3.4

An infection from a cat scratch or bite that makes nearby glands swell and is usually mild

1 9.9

A large meat-eating animal from Madagascar that climbs trees to catch lemurs

Pallas's cat
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small wild cat that lives in Central Asian mountains and has very thick fur

cat and rat
  • Baby Talk
1 8.0

A circle game where players join hands and raise them to let a child pass while another catches them

1 8.5

An animal like a raccoon that has a long bushy tail with black and white rings

scaredy-cat
  • Offensive
1 7.4

A person who gets scared easily by not very dangerous things

caffer cat
  • Archaic
9.9

A wild cat from Africa and parts of Asia that is the ancestor of house cats

9.8

A carved decoration on a table or chair leg that looks like a cat's paw

8.5

A small reddish-brown tree squirrel from Europe and Asia with small fur tufts on its ears

9.9

A small plant from the Mediterranean with reddish-purple flowers that attracts cats

cat valium
  • NSFW
9.9

A slang name for the drug ketamine used by people to feel very calm

A life where two people who live together often argue

cat cracker
  • Specialized
7.0

A machine at an oil plant that turns heavy oil into lighter fuel like petrol or diesel

A program that looks after stray cats and finds them homes

How Severe

to cat
  • NSFW
1 9.9
to flog
  • NSFW
18 8.3
to beat
  • NSFW
∞ 1.2
to hit
∞ 1.0
to slap
472 1.0

Surface Forms

cat infinitive
catted past
catted past participle
catting present participle
cats third person singular

Etymology

Cat as a verb to beat someone comes from the name cat-o'-nine-tails, the whip used for punishment, and so the verb meant to give that beating. That's why the old naval order to 'cat' someone meant to punish them with the whip.