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Glite Dictionary
look what the cat dragged in

look what the cat dragged in

9.7
A humorous remark to greet someone who arrives unexpectedly or looking messy
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : mira quién llegó
  • She opened the door and said, 'look what the cat dragged in,' when she saw her brother covered in mud.

Examples

  • After being gone all weekend, I came home to my roommate saying, 'look what the cat dragged in.'

  • Well, look what the cat dragged in—I haven't seen you in years!

  • Well, look what the cat dragged in!

  • Look what the cat dragged in, everyone!

  • "Well, look what the cat dragged in! I didn't expect to see you here after all this time!"

  • "Oh my, look what the cat dragged in! You definitely need a makeover!"

  • "Look what the cat dragged in—someone who hasn't slept in days!"

Synonyms

never thought I'd see you here
vslook what the cat dragged in
  • Informal
8.2

Words you say when you are surprised to see someone in an unexpected place

is a humorous teasing remark often used about messy or disheveled arrivals

Antonyms

polished look
1 4.4

A neat, elegant appearance that shows attention to detail

Surface Forms

look what the cat dragged in main

Morphology

look + what + the + cat + drag + in

The meaning ('used humorously to acknowledge an unexpected or dishevelled arrival') cannot be derived from the literal meanings of 'cat', 'drag' and 'in' — the phrase is a fixed idiomatic image rather than a straightforward composition. Although some languages have comparable idioms, the metaphorical sense is language-specific and unpredictable, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not reliably infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Look what the cat dragged in may come from a simple picture: a cat that has dragged in a dirty animal or thing through the door. So people now say it as a joke when someone arrives 'unexpectedly' or looks 'messy'.