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Glite Dictionary
to whip the cat

to whip the cat

9.9
To do small fun things to stop worrying
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : distraerse
  • When she's feeling restless, she likes to whip the cat by baking cookies or trying a new hobby.

Examples

  • Rather than dwelling on his problems, he decided to whip the cat with some playful jokes.

  • He tends to whip the cat when he wants to forget about work for a while.

  • Don't whip the cat too much!

  • He loves to whip the cat on weekends.

  • Whenever he feels stressed, he likes to whip the cat by going for a walk and enjoying nature.

  • To lighten the mood at the party, she decided to whip the cat with some fun games and laughter.

  • Whenever the weather is nice, they whip the cat by organizing a picnic at the park.

Synonyms

to fling
vsto whip the cat
  • Informal
4 5.8

To do something enjoyable or unusual quickly without planning

focuses on playful, lighthearted distraction rather than impulsive unusual acts

Antonyms

focus
794 3.5

Close attention to one subject or activity

seriousness
53 2.7

A calm and honest way of speaking or acting that shows you mean what you say

How Playful

to horse around
  • Informal
7 6.3
to whip the cat
  • Informal
9.9
to fool around
  • Informal
46 3.6
to play around
  • Informal
47 3.4
to burn time
  • Informal
7.5

Surface Forms

whip the cat infinitive
whipped the cat past
whipped the cat past participle
whipping the cat present participle
whips the cat third person singular

Morphology

whip + the + cat

The proposed meaning 'to engage in playful behavior' is not derivable from the literal senses of 'whip' (to strike or move quickly) and 'cat' (a feline). A B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer a literal or violent action rather than lighthearted play; there is no obvious cross-linguistic or conventional metaphorical mapping to support the given sense.

Etymology

Whip the cat may come from the picture of someone waving a small toy or string so a cat jumps and plays. The quick, playful move of the whip and the cat's fun chase gives a clear image of doing something light to forget worries, so the phrase means 'to distract yourself with playful or silly things'.