to bean his superviser, cat got one's tongue

Idioms: cat got one's tongue

A comment made when someone is unaccountably or unusually quiet, as in We haven't heard from you all morning--has the cat got your tongue?
Often put as a question, this term originally was used mainly with a child who did something wrong and refused to answer any questions. Today it is used more generally to ask anyone to speak. [Mid-1800s]

Pet Sayings: Cat got your tongue?

As is so often the case with idioms, it's difficult to say with absolute certainty from whence that favorite pet saying, "Cat got your tongue?" came. Although the earliest written example listed in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1911, there are many theories surrounding its exact origin. Here are four possibilities (in no particular order) for your consideration:

Theory #1 - The saying comes from the Middle East, where as punishment, liars had their tongues cut out and fed to the king's cats. (Yipes!)
Theory #2 - Fear of a whipping with cat-o'-nine-tails (or "cat" for short) could render a potential victim speechless. It's said that in English sailing days, if the captain shared a secret with a crew member and that person blabbed he would "get the cat." And if he didn't spill the beans, the others (who naturally wanted to know what had transpired) would chide him with, "Whats'a'matter? Cat got yer tongue?"
Theory #3 - The expression comes from the Middle Ages when witches were greatly feared and often put to death. It was believed that if you saw a witch, her cat would somehow "steal" or control your tongue so you couldn't report the sighting.
Theory #4 - The saying originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was used when addressing a child who refused to answer a parent's questions after some mischief, as in, "Why don't you speak? Your silence is suspicious."

"Pet Sayings" is a new Tails of the City series. I welcome your suggestions for future posts. Email me at pets@sfgate.com.


As a metaphor for "something of small value" it is attested from c.1300.Meaning "head" is U.S. baseball slang c.1905 (in bean-ball "a pitch thrownat the head"); thus slang verb bean meaning "to hit on the head," attested from 1910.