like a cat on a hot tin roof

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

A simile developed from the behaviour of a cat observed on a hot tin roof.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Prepositional phrase

[edit]

like a cat on a hot tin roof

  1. (simile, colloquial, chiefly US) Jumpy, nervous.

Usage notes

[edit]

Originally phrased as like a cat on hot bricks, but this form is less common because of the 1955 play and subsequent movie titled Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.