"cat got someone's tongue" meaning in English

See cat got someone's tongue in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Phrase

Audio: en-au-cat got someone's tongue.ogg
Head templates: {{head|en|phrase}} cat got someone's tongue
  1. (idiomatic, humorous) Why is someone not saying anything? Tags: humorous, idiomatic Categories (topical): Talking Translations (why are you not saying anything?): 你成了啞巴了嗎? (Chinese Mandarin), 你成了哑巴了吗? (nǐ chéng le yǎba le ma?) (Chinese Mandarin), ben je je tong verloren? (Dutch), veikö kissa kielesi? (Finnish), tu as perdu ta langue (French), tu as donné ta langue au chat (French), hast du die Sprache verloren? (German), haben Sie die Sprache verloren? (German), elvitte a cica a nyelved? (Hungarian), il gatto ti ha mangiato la lingua? (Italian), zaniemówić (Polish), zapomnieć języka w gębie [perfective] (Polish), o gato comeu sua língua (Portuguese), ți-a mâncat pisica limba? [common-gender] (Romanian), язы́к проглоти́ла? (jazýk proglotíla?) [feminine] (Russian), язы́к проглоти́ли? (jazýk proglotíli?) [plural] (Russian), maca popapala jezik? (Serbo-Croatian), stratil si reč? (Slovak), ¿te ha comido la lengua el gato? (Spanish), förlora/tappa talförmågan (Swedish), dilini mi yuttun? [informal, plural] (Turkish), dilinizi mi yuttunuz? [formal, singular] (Turkish)
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          "text": "Why won't you tell me that secret? Cat got your tongue?",
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          "ref": "2007, “15 Step”, in In Rainbows, performed by Radiohead:",
          "text": "You used to be alright / What happened? / Did the cat get your tongue? / Did your string come undone?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "Why is someone not saying anything?"
      ],
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        "(idiomatic, humorous) Why is someone not saying anything?"
      ],
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "你成了啞巴了嗎?"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "nǐ chéng le yǎba le ma?",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "你成了哑巴了吗?"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "ben je je tong verloren?"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "veikö kissa kielesi?"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "tu as perdu ta langue"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "tu as donné ta langue au chat"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "hast du die Sprache verloren?"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "haben Sie die Sprache verloren?"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "elvitte a cica a nyelved?"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "il gatto ti ha mangiato la lingua?"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "zaniemówić"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "zapomnieć języka w gębie"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "o gato comeu sua língua"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "ți-a mâncat pisica limba?"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "язы́к проглоти́л? m (jazýk proglotíl?, literally “did you swallow your tongue?”)",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "jazýk proglotíla?",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "язы́к проглоти́ла?"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "jazýk proglotíli?",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "tags": [
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "язы́к проглоти́ли?"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "maca popapala jezik?"
        },
        {
          "code": "sk",
          "lang": "Slovak",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "stratil si reč?"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "¿te ha comido la lengua el gato?"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "word": "förlora/tappa talförmågan"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "tags": [
            "informal",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "dilini mi yuttun?"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
          "tags": [
            "formal",
            "singular"
          ],
          "word": "dilinizi mi yuttunuz?"
        }
      ]
    }
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        "Why is someone not saying anything?"
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        "(idiomatic, humorous) Why is someone not saying anything?"
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      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "你成了啞巴了嗎?"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "nǐ chéng le yǎba le ma?",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "你成了哑巴了吗?"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "ben je je tong verloren?"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "veikö kissa kielesi?"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "tu as perdu ta langue"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "tu as donné ta langue au chat"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "hast du die Sprache verloren?"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "haben Sie die Sprache verloren?"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "elvitte a cica a nyelved?"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "il gatto ti ha mangiato la lingua?"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "zaniemówić"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "zapomnieć języka w gębie"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "o gato comeu sua língua"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "ți-a mâncat pisica limba?"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "язы́к проглоти́л? m (jazýk proglotíl?, literally “did you swallow your tongue?”)",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "jazýk proglotíla?",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "язы́к проглоти́ла?"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "jazýk proglotíli?",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "язы́к проглоти́ли?"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "maca popapala jezik?"
    },
    {
      "code": "sk",
      "lang": "Slovak",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "stratil si reč?"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "¿te ha comido la lengua el gato?"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "word": "förlora/tappa talförmågan"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "dilini mi yuttun?"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "why are you not saying anything?",
      "tags": [
        "formal",
        "singular"
      ],
      "word": "dilinizi mi yuttunuz?"
    }
  ],
  "word": "cat got someone's tongue"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). 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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