It's Raining Cat and Dog Expressions!

Humans have been living alongside dogs and cats for thousands of years, so it's no wonder that we have so many expressions about them! While certainly not a complete list, this is still a pretty sizeable sampling of idioms, metaphors, and similes about cats and dogs that are sprinkled throughout the English language.

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Sayings about cats and dogs

• Raining cats and dogs
• Raining heavily
• "It's raining cats and dogs out there!"
• Bonus points if the other person responds with "Don't step in a poodle!"

• Fight like cats and dogs
• People who argue a lot with each other; and/or they fight like old-time enemies
• "I swear, the pair of you fights like cat and dog!"

Expressions about dogs

• In the doghouse
• In trouble
• "He's in the doghouse again, he forgot to do his homework."

• See a man about a dog
• Announcing that you are leaving for something without explaining why; often used when going to the bathroom or getting an alcoholic beverage
• "Excuse me, I've got to go see a man about a dog."

• A barking dog never bites OR his bark is worse than his bite
• This person talks a good game, but they aren't actually as dangerous or serious as they say they are
• "Oh, don't mind her, her bark is worse than her bite."

• My dogs are barking
• Said when one's feet hurt, presumably from walking a lot
• "My dogs are barking after yesterday's hike up the mountain."

• Working like a dog
• Working very hard; can imply that the work is demeaning, but this is not inherent
• "They've been working me like a dog, I hardly get any rest anymore!"

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• Barking up the wrong tree
• Used when someone looking in wrong place for someone to blame or to find the culprit for something
• "Hey pal, you're barking up the wrong tree! I've never even been to Detroit!"

• Throw someone a bone
• Give someone a chance; help someone out; give a hint OR attempt to placate someone by doing something small to help them out
• "Aw, please just throw me a bone here, I could really use the help."

• Don't keep a dog and bark yourself 
• If you're paying someone to do something, let 'em do it
• "What are you doing out here? You've got a whole slew of gardeners, don't keep a dog and bark yourself."

• Lucky dog
• Someone who is fortunate
• "You won the lottery? You lucky dog!"

• Call off the dogs
• Stop threatening/chasing someone, or call off the lackeys
• "Hey, call off your dogs! Come down here and fight us yourself!"

• Every dog has its day
• Everyone will have good luck at some point in their lives
• "Cheer up, champ, every dog has its day! You'll get there."

• You can't teach an old dog new tricks
• It can be hard to change someone's mind or behavior once they're set in their ways
• "Look, pal, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. She'll never change!"

• Better to be a live dog than a dead lion
• Walk away humble and alive, even a coward, rather than a proud hero and dead
• "Why didn't I hold my ground? I'd rather be a live dog than a dead lion, and live to fight another day."

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• Meaner than a junkyard dog
• Someone who is territorial, mean, or cruel; eager to fight
• "I wouldn't mess with him, he's meaner than a junkyard dog when he hasn't gotten enough sleep."

• To go to the dogs
• To grow bad or get worse
• "Wow, this place has really gone to the dogs in the time I've been gone."

• Puppy dog eyes
• A begging look
• "I couldn't resist her puppy dog eyes! I had to give in."

• Every man and his dog
• Many people
• "Every man and his dog are here, jeez!"

• Have a dog in the hunt
• Having vested interest or something to gain from a situation
• "The new law will affect everyone in the Midwest, and my brother lives in Illinois, so I've got a dog in this hunt."

• Dog-eat-dog/dog-eat-dog world
• Intensely competitive // people do whatever they have to do to get ahead
• "The football game was ruthless, it's really a dog-eat-dog world."

• That's not my dog
• Not my problem
• "Your cousin's wallet got stolen, and you want me to track down the thief? That's not my dog."

• Let sleeping dogs lie
• Don't go looking for trouble; if everything is peaceful, let it be
• "I'd let sleeping dogs lie on this one. If he's happy with the deal, let's not make him angry by trying to negotiate."

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• Put the dog off the scent
• Distract someone from what's really going on
• "Okay, while you wrap the gifts, I'll put the dog off the scent and take the kids to the park."

• Walking with your tail between your legs
• Someone has been humiliated/embarrassed
• "He's certainly walking with his tail between his legs after that penalty kick."

• Dog and pony show
• Flashy presentation, often in marketing context
• "Okay, we've got to make it a real dog and pony show, really show 'em what we've got!"

• The tail that wags the dog
• Small part of something that controls the whole larger thing
• "She may be the president, but her VP is definitely the tail that wags the dog."

• Top dog
• In charge/best
• "Here in the showring, she's top dog   she knows what she's doing."

• Dog tired
• Very tired
• "I'm dog tired after hiking on the mountain all day!"

• Sick as a dog
• Very ill
• "Oh, you didn't hear, poor thing caught the flu, she's sick as a dog."

• Puppy love
• Sweet romance between young people
• "Those kids are definitely in puppy love, all big eyes and cheesy smiles, glued to each other's side."

Image by Karsten Paulick from Pixabay

Figures of speech about cats

• Look what the cat dragged in
• A way of saying "Hey, everyone, acknowledge the person who just got here." It can have a negative connotation (as cats are known to sometimes drag dead animals indoors) but doesn't always
• "Oh, he's here! Look what the cat dragged in."

• Who let the cat out of the bag
• A way of asking "Who told the secret?"
• "What, you already knew they got married? Who let the cat out of the bag?"

• Curiosity killed the cat // but satisfaction brought it back
• Many people use the first half of this phrase to warn others of the dangers of being too curious about someone's personal affairs--it could be used as a threat, also. The addition of the second half of the phrase could be taken to mean that maybe being curious was risky, but the knowledge gained was worthwhile
• "I really shouldn't be snooping around. Curiosity killed the cat...oh, but satisfaction brought it back!"

• Cats have 9 lives
• There's a commonly held belief that cats have 9 lives
• "That cat's still kickin'? Dang, she must have 9 lives!"

• Cats always land on their feet
• Another commonly held belief, this time that cats can fall from any distance and land gracefully on their feet. It could also be used metaphorically, implying that someone will be able to recover easily from recent trouble.
• "Ah, she'll be fine, cats always land on their feet."

• Cat on a hot tin roof
• Someone who is on edge, nervous, unable to sit still
• "Wow, he's really worried about this, he's like a cat on a hot tin roof!"

• Copycat
• Someone who copies others' work
• "Stop plagiarizing, you are such a copycat!"

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• The cat's pajamas
• Coolest/best thing
• "You got into your dream school? That's the cat's pajamas!"

• Cat nap
• Quick nap during the day
• "Think I've got time for a little cat nap before the game?"

• Cat's meow
• Something fantastic or amazing
• "That new dress is the cat's meow!"

• Scaredy-cat
• Someone easily scared
• "My bunny is a scaredy-cat, he jumps every time I sneeze!"

• Cool cat
• Someone who is cool/fashionable, has respect of their peers in a young casual way
• "He's a real cool cat, you know? Everybody likes and respects him."

• Fat cat
• Rich and powerful person; negative
• "That CEO is so rude and extravagantly wasteful, they're a real fat cat."

• More than one way to skin a cat
• Many ways to do a task
• "Well, even if this doesn't work, there's more than one way to skin a cat."

• It's like herding cats
• Very difficult/impossible to do
• "There are aspects of many jobs that feel like herding cats."

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• Cats in gloves catch no mice
• Playing nicely/by the rules doesn't get you what you want
• "You can do it by the rules if you want, but cats in gloves catch no mice."

• Cat got your tongue?
• Someone is speechless
• "Hey, you're normally so talkative. Cat got your tongue?"

• To look like the cat that ate the canary
• Looks smug/sly, gotten away with something they weren't supposed to do and don't feel bad
• "Well you sure look like the cat that ate the canary!"

• When the cat's away, the mice will play
• When authoritative figure is away, people get mischievous/lawless
• "Well, their parents left town for the weekend, of course they threw a party! When the cat's away, the mice will play."

• Cat and mouse
• Teasing someone, with eventual goal to hurt them
• "Stop playing cat and mouse with me!"

• Cat's paw
• Person being used by someone else; a tool
• "Well, you know he's just the cat's paw, right?"
  

• Bell the cat
• Take on a difficult or impossible task
• "It's time for me to finally bell the cat, I guess."

• No room to swing a cat
• Not a lot of space; small area
• "This is your new apartment? There's no room to swing a cat in here!"

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Conclusion

Our language is shaped at least partially by our surroundings and the people and animals we spend time with. Naturally, two of the most popular companion animals have thus influenced our language so that we have countless expressions about them both   and these are just the most common expressions in English! Other languages have their own completely different sayings and versions of the above phrases.

Some of the above phrases definitely sound out-of-date, and such is the nature of language. It's always evolving and changing. Who knows what the next cat or dog expression might be? Or if language is moving away from these sorts of expressions entirely? However, the fact that cats and dogs are integral parts of many of our lives isn't going to change anytime soon.