вторник, 18 августа 2015 г.

All about Cats

Cats are the most  popular  pets among  Americans.  So it is not surprising that there  are many  expressions about cats. Some cats  like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud  or satisfied with himself, we say he “looks  like the cat that ate the canary.” 

Sometimes, a cat likes  to play with a  small animal it catches.  So if  you  “play  cat and mouse”  with  someone, you change  between different  kinds of  behavior when  dealing with another  person. For example, a child might offer something  sweet to her  little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.
A cat will often catch a small animal and present it to its owner. The saying that “looks like something the cat dragged in” describes something in bad condition.
Two old and funny expressions describe something that is the best or finest. Americans might say that something is “the cat’s meow” and “the cat’s pajamas.”
Children might call a child who is easily frightened a “fraidy-cat” or a “scaredy-cat.”
A “copycat” is someone  who  acts  just like  someone else  or  copies  another person's work.
A “fat cat” is a person with a lot of money.  
You may have known that cats spend most of their time sleeping. Sometimes people sleep for a short time during the day. This is called a “cat nap.”
If you tell about something that was supposed to be a secret, we say  you  “let the cat out of the bag.” If you are not  able  to  speak  or answer  a question  someone might ask if  “the cat has got your tongue.”
Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes? “When the cat’s away, the  mice  will  play”  means  people  sometimes misbehave when there is no supervision.
You may have heard this expression: “curiosity killed the cat.” This  means  being  too concerned about things that are not your business might cause problems.
If your home is very small, you might say “there is not enough room to swing a  cat.” But you probably should not try this at home!
If you ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get  them  to do something. Cats are not like sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult or impossible job “is like herding cats.”

We leave you with a song from the musical play "Cats."