See there's more than one way to skin a cat on Wiktionary
{ "etymology_templates": [ { "args": { "1": "en", "2": "Origin unknown" }, "expansion": "Origin unknown", "name": "unknown" }, { "args": { "1": "Digested into a Convenient Method for the Speedy Finding Any One upon Occasion; with Short Annotations. Whereunto are Added Local Proverbs with Their Explications, Old Proverbial Rhythmes, Less Known or Exotick Proverbial Sentences, and Scottish Proverbs. The Second Edition Enlarged by the Addition of Many Hundred English, and an Appendix of Hebrew Proverbs, with Annotations and Parallels." }, "expansion": "[…]", "name": "nb..." }, { "args": { "1": "To which is Added, the History of a Steam Doctor. In Two Volumes. ... By the Author of “A Yankee among the Nullifiers.”" }, "expansion": "[…]", "name": "nb..." }, { "args": { "1": "94 Broadway." }, "expansion": "[…]", "name": "nb..." }, { "args": { "1": "of Burrough, in the County of Devon, in the Reign of Her Most Glorious Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Rendered into Modern English by Charles Kingsley." }, "expansion": "[…]", "name": "nb..." } ], "etymology_text": "Origin unknown. Other proverbs with the same meaning referencing the killing of animals are also attested, some as early as the 17th century; see, for example, “there are more ways to kill a dog than hanging” (1678), “there is more than one way to kill a cat” (1833), and “more ways of killing a cat than choking her with cream” (1855).", "head_templates": [ { "args": { "1": "en", "2": "proverb" }, "expansion": "there's more than one way to skin a cat", "name": "head" } ], "lang": "English", "lang_code": "en", "pos": "proverb", "senses": [ { "categories": [ { "kind": "other", "name": "American English", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "English entries with incorrect language header", "parents": [ "Entries with incorrect language header", "Entry maintenance" ], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "English proverbs", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Entries with translation boxes", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Pages with 1 entry", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Pages with entries", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Arabic translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Czech translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Dutch translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Finnish translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with French translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with German translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Irish translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Italian translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Polish translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Russian translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Spanish translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Telugu translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Welsh translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" }, { "kind": "other", "name": "Terms with Yoruba translations", "parents": [], "source": "w" } ], "examples": [ { "ref": "1835 November 11, the New York Transcript, quotee, “Eccentricities of a Mad Man”, in Benj[amin] Kingsbury, Jr., editor, Zion’s Herald, volume VI, number 45, Boston, Mass.: Boston Wesleyan Association, →OCLC, page 180, column 2:", "text": "At any rate, thought I, there's more than one way to skin a cat, as a butcher would say.", "type": "quote" }, { "ref": "[1854, Seba Smith, “The Money-diggers and Old Nick”, in ’Way Down East; or, Portraitures of Yankee Life, New York, N.Y.: J[ames] C[ephas] Derby, […]; Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson & Co. […], →OCLC, page 169:", "text": "This is a money digging world of ours; and, as it is said, \"there are more ways than one to skin a cat,\" so are there more ways than one of digging for money. But, in some mode or other, this seems to be the universal occupation of the sons of Adam.", "type": "quote" }, { "ref": "1889, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “The Boss”, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, New York, N.Y.: Charles L. Webster & Company, →OCLC, page 100:", "text": "But then the Church came to the front, with an axe to grind; and she was wise, subtle, and knew more than one way to skin a cat—or a nation; […]", "type": "quote" }, { "ref": "1947 December 8, “Ex Parte Joe Fisher, Relator: Respondent’s Answer to Relator’s Motion for Rehearing”, in Joe J. Fisher, Petitioner, vs. R. C. Pace, Sheriff of Jasper County, Texas: Transcript of Record (Supreme Court of the United States, October Term, 1948; no. 45), Washington, D.C.: Judd & Detweiler, […], folio 90, page 65:", "text": "Relator was, undoubtedly, at this point reminded of the old saying: \"There is more than one way to skin a cat\"; because he was saying the same thing in different terminology and tied it in with his original statement by saying \"as I stated\".", "type": "quote" }, { "ref": "2021 January 25, Robin Russell-Jones, “Electric cars are not the only green solution”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-03-22:", "text": "Nissan has elected to concentrate its European operations in Sunderland, including battery development, precisely because Boris Johnson has brought forward the phase-out date for petrol and diesel vehicles to 2030. […] However, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and cheaper options for ultra-low emitting vehicles are just around the corner.", "type": "quote" } ], "glosses": [ "A problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal." ], "id": "en-there's_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat-en-proverb-vB92VvjM", "links": [ [ "problem", "problem#Noun" ], [ "generally", "generally" ], [ "more", "more#Determiner" ], [ "one", "one#Numeral" ], [ "solution", "solution" ], [ "way", "way#Noun" ], [ "achieve", "achieve" ], [ "goal", "goal#Noun" ] ], "raw_glosses": [ "(originally US) A problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal." ], "related": [ { "english": "has a somewhat opposite meaning", "word": "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" }, { "word": "TMTOWTDI" } ], "synonyms": [ { "word": "all roads lead to Rome" }, { "tags": [ "rare" ], "word": "there's more than one way to cook an egg" }, { "tags": [ "rare" ], "word": "there's more than one way to crack an egg" }, { "tags": [ "rare" ], "word": "there's more than one way to peel an orange" }, { "tags": [ "rare" ], "word": "there's more than one way to feed a cat" }, { "word": "there's more than one way to fuck a cat" }, { "word": "there are many ways to skin a cat" } ], "translations": [ { "code": "ar", "lang": "Arabic", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "هناك أكثر من طريقَة لسلخ القط" }, { "code": "cs", "lang": "Czech", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "problém má zpravidla více řešení" }, { "code": "cs", "lang": "Czech", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "všechny cesty vedou do Říma" }, { "code": "nl", "lang": "Dutch", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "alle wegen leiden naar Rome" }, { "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "konstit on monet" }, { "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "konstit on monet sanoi mummo, kun kissalla pöytää pyyhki" }, { "code": "fr", "lang": "French", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "il y a plusieurs façons de plumer un canard" }, { "code": "fr", "lang": "French", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "tous les chemins mènent à Rome" }, { "code": "de", "lang": "German", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "viele Wege führen nach Rom" }, { "code": "ga", "lang": "Irish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "is iomaí bealach le cat a mharú seachas é a thachtadh le him" }, { "code": "ga", "lang": "Irish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "is iomaí slí chun beithíoch a fheannadh" }, { "code": "it", "lang": "Italian", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "tutte le strade portano a Roma" }, { "code": "pl", "lang": "Polish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "wszystkie drogi prowadzą do Rzymu" }, { "code": "pt", "lang": "Portuguese", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "quem não tem cão caça com gato" }, { "code": "ru", "lang": "Russian", "note": "все доро́ги веду́т в Рим (vse dorógi vedút v Rim, literally “all roads lead to Rome”)", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal" }, { "code": "gd", "lang": "Scottish Gaelic", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "tha iomadh dòigh air cù a mharbhadh" }, { "code": "es", "lang": "Spanish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "cada maestrillo tiene su librillo" }, { "code": "es", "lang": "Spanish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "cada quien tiene su manera de matar pulgas" }, { "code": "te", "lang": "Telugu", "roman": "śatakōṭi daridrālaku anantakōṭi upāyālu", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "శతకోటి దరిద్రాలకు అనంతకోటి ఉపాయాలు" }, { "code": "cy", "lang": "Welsh", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "mae llawer ffordd i ladd ci heblaw ei grogi" }, { "code": "cy", "lang": "Welsh", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "mae mwy nag un ffordd i gael Wil i'w wely" }, { "code": "yo", "lang": "Yoruba", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "ọ̀nà kan ò wọjà" } ], "wikipedia": [ "Michael Quinion" ] } ], "sounds": [ { "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-there's more than one way to skin a cat.wav", "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a9/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-there%26%2339%3Bs_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-there%26%2339%3Bs_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat.wav.mp3", "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a9/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-there%26%2339%3Bs_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-there%26%2339%3Bs_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat.wav.ogg" } ], "word": "there's more than one way to skin a cat" }
{ "etymology_templates": [ { "args": { "1": "en", "2": "Origin unknown" }, "expansion": "Origin unknown", "name": "unknown" }, { "args": { "1": "Digested into a Convenient Method for the Speedy Finding Any One upon Occasion; with Short Annotations. Whereunto are Added Local Proverbs with Their Explications, Old Proverbial Rhythmes, Less Known or Exotick Proverbial Sentences, and Scottish Proverbs. The Second Edition Enlarged by the Addition of Many Hundred English, and an Appendix of Hebrew Proverbs, with Annotations and Parallels." }, "expansion": "[…]", "name": "nb..." }, { "args": { "1": "To which is Added, the History of a Steam Doctor. In Two Volumes. ... By the Author of “A Yankee among the Nullifiers.”" }, "expansion": "[…]", "name": "nb..." }, { "args": { "1": "94 Broadway." }, "expansion": "[…]", "name": "nb..." }, { "args": { "1": "of Burrough, in the County of Devon, in the Reign of Her Most Glorious Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Rendered into Modern English by Charles Kingsley." }, "expansion": "[…]", "name": "nb..." } ], "etymology_text": "Origin unknown. Other proverbs with the same meaning referencing the killing of animals are also attested, some as early as the 17th century; see, for example, “there are more ways to kill a dog than hanging” (1678), “there is more than one way to kill a cat” (1833), and “more ways of killing a cat than choking her with cream” (1855).", "head_templates": [ { "args": { "1": "en", "2": "proverb" }, "expansion": "there's more than one way to skin a cat", "name": "head" } ], "lang": "English", "lang_code": "en", "pos": "proverb", "related": [ { "english": "has a somewhat opposite meaning", "word": "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" }, { "word": "TMTOWTDI" } ], "senses": [ { "categories": [ "American English", "English entries with incorrect language header", "English lemmas", "English multiword terms", "English proverbs", "English terms with quotations", "English terms with unknown etymologies", "Entries with translation boxes", "Pages with 1 entry", "Pages with entries", "Terms with Arabic translations", "Terms with Czech translations", "Terms with Dutch translations", "Terms with Finnish translations", "Terms with French translations", "Terms with German translations", "Terms with Irish translations", "Terms with Italian translations", "Terms with Polish translations", "Terms with Portuguese translations", "Terms with Russian translations", "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations", "Terms with Spanish translations", "Terms with Telugu translations", "Terms with Welsh translations", "Terms with Yoruba translations" ], "examples": [ { "ref": "1835 November 11, the New York Transcript, quotee, “Eccentricities of a Mad Man”, in Benj[amin] Kingsbury, Jr., editor, Zion’s Herald, volume VI, number 45, Boston, Mass.: Boston Wesleyan Association, →OCLC, page 180, column 2:", "text": "At any rate, thought I, there's more than one way to skin a cat, as a butcher would say.", "type": "quote" }, { "ref": "[1854, Seba Smith, “The Money-diggers and Old Nick”, in ’Way Down East; or, Portraitures of Yankee Life, New York, N.Y.: J[ames] C[ephas] Derby, […]; Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson & Co. […], →OCLC, page 169:", "text": "This is a money digging world of ours; and, as it is said, \"there are more ways than one to skin a cat,\" so are there more ways than one of digging for money. But, in some mode or other, this seems to be the universal occupation of the sons of Adam.", "type": "quote" }, { "ref": "1889, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “The Boss”, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, New York, N.Y.: Charles L. Webster & Company, →OCLC, page 100:", "text": "But then the Church came to the front, with an axe to grind; and she was wise, subtle, and knew more than one way to skin a cat—or a nation; […]", "type": "quote" }, { "ref": "1947 December 8, “Ex Parte Joe Fisher, Relator: Respondent’s Answer to Relator’s Motion for Rehearing”, in Joe J. Fisher, Petitioner, vs. R. C. Pace, Sheriff of Jasper County, Texas: Transcript of Record (Supreme Court of the United States, October Term, 1948; no. 45), Washington, D.C.: Judd & Detweiler, […], folio 90, page 65:", "text": "Relator was, undoubtedly, at this point reminded of the old saying: \"There is more than one way to skin a cat\"; because he was saying the same thing in different terminology and tied it in with his original statement by saying \"as I stated\".", "type": "quote" }, { "ref": "2021 January 25, Robin Russell-Jones, “Electric cars are not the only green solution”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-03-22:", "text": "Nissan has elected to concentrate its European operations in Sunderland, including battery development, precisely because Boris Johnson has brought forward the phase-out date for petrol and diesel vehicles to 2030. […] However, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and cheaper options for ultra-low emitting vehicles are just around the corner.", "type": "quote" } ], "glosses": [ "A problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal." ], "links": [ [ "problem", "problem#Noun" ], [ "generally", "generally" ], [ "more", "more#Determiner" ], [ "one", "one#Numeral" ], [ "solution", "solution" ], [ "way", "way#Noun" ], [ "achieve", "achieve" ], [ "goal", "goal#Noun" ] ], "raw_glosses": [ "(originally US) A problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal." ], "synonyms": [ { "word": "all roads lead to Rome" }, { "tags": [ "rare" ], "word": "there's more than one way to cook an egg" }, { "tags": [ "rare" ], "word": "there's more than one way to crack an egg" }, { "tags": [ "rare" ], "word": "there's more than one way to peel an orange" }, { "tags": [ "rare" ], "word": "there's more than one way to feed a cat" }, { "word": "there's more than one way to fuck a cat" } ], "wikipedia": [ "Michael Quinion" ] } ], "sounds": [ { "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-there's more than one way to skin a cat.wav", "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a9/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-there%26%2339%3Bs_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-there%26%2339%3Bs_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat.wav.mp3", "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a9/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-there%26%2339%3Bs_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-there%26%2339%3Bs_more_than_one_way_to_skin_a_cat.wav.ogg" } ], "synonyms": [ { "word": "there are many ways to skin a cat" } ], "translations": [ { "code": "ar", "lang": "Arabic", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "هناك أكثر من طريقَة لسلخ القط" }, { "code": "cs", "lang": "Czech", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "problém má zpravidla více řešení" }, { "code": "cs", "lang": "Czech", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "všechny cesty vedou do Říma" }, { "code": "nl", "lang": "Dutch", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "alle wegen leiden naar Rome" }, { "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "konstit on monet" }, { "code": "fi", "lang": "Finnish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "konstit on monet sanoi mummo, kun kissalla pöytää pyyhki" }, { "code": "fr", "lang": "French", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "il y a plusieurs façons de plumer un canard" }, { "code": "fr", "lang": "French", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "tous les chemins mènent à Rome" }, { "code": "de", "lang": "German", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "viele Wege führen nach Rom" }, { "code": "ga", "lang": "Irish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "is iomaí bealach le cat a mharú seachas é a thachtadh le him" }, { "code": "ga", "lang": "Irish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "is iomaí slí chun beithíoch a fheannadh" }, { "code": "it", "lang": "Italian", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "tutte le strade portano a Roma" }, { "code": "pl", "lang": "Polish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "wszystkie drogi prowadzą do Rzymu" }, { "code": "pt", "lang": "Portuguese", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "quem não tem cão caça com gato" }, { "code": "ru", "lang": "Russian", "note": "все доро́ги веду́т в Рим (vse dorógi vedút v Rim, literally “all roads lead to Rome”)", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal" }, { "code": "gd", "lang": "Scottish Gaelic", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "tha iomadh dòigh air cù a mharbhadh" }, { "code": "es", "lang": "Spanish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "cada maestrillo tiene su librillo" }, { "code": "es", "lang": "Spanish", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "cada quien tiene su manera de matar pulgas" }, { "code": "te", "lang": "Telugu", "roman": "śatakōṭi daridrālaku anantakōṭi upāyālu", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "శతకోటి దరిద్రాలకు అనంతకోటి ఉపాయాలు" }, { "code": "cy", "lang": "Welsh", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "mae llawer ffordd i ladd ci heblaw ei grogi" }, { "code": "cy", "lang": "Welsh", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "mae mwy nag un ffordd i gael Wil i'w wely" }, { "code": "yo", "lang": "Yoruba", "sense": "a problem generally has more than one solution; there is more than one way to achieve a goal", "word": "ọ̀nà kan ò wọjà" } ], "word": "there's more than one way to skin a cat" }
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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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