osa katt
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Swedish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From osa (“smell”) + katt (“cat”). Perhaps in reference to impending punishment with a cat-o'-nine-tails (niosvansad katt).
Verb[edit]
osa katt (present osar katt, preterite osade katt, supine osat katt, imperative osa katt)
- (idiomatic) to start to look risky
- När lagets bästa spelare utvisades kände man att det osade katt
- When the team's best player was sent off, you could tell they were in trouble ("one felt it smelled of cat")
Usage notes[edit]
Also appears to be used in the sense of "to seem fishy" by some, though ligga en hund begraven and ana ugglor i mossen are more idiomatic.