#131507 - 08/14/04 05:21 PM
Scaredy cats
|
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 09/28/00
Posts: 2888
|
A cat passed in front of our car yesterday night and didn't speed up one bit. I had to slow down. When he reached the sidewalk, he looked back and, I swear, gave us the most disdainful look ever. It was so unequivocal that Hubby and I both had to laugh. But it did make me think.
How did the expression scaredy cat (or fraidy cat) come about? None of the cats that I have known were ever frightened easily.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#131509 - 08/15/04 04:32 PM
Re: Scaredy cats
|
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 6296
Loc: Piedmont Region of Virginia, U...
|
Cats can be very, very cool, ergo: 'cool cat'...
but they are extraordinarily sensitive, too, and really will levitate dramatically and vertically when startled. Their reaction time--or startle time--is lightning fast. I expect because of this reaction time they--when not behaving cool--earned their 'scaredy' rep. Complex. That's one thing you can say about cats. They're complex.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#131510 - 08/16/04 01:53 AM
Re: Scaredy cats
|
old hand
Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 1010
Loc: Switzerland
|
In German, there is no corresponding expression referring to cats, but hares take their rôle: Angsthase. In French, there is the mysterious phrase: "Chat échaudé craint l'eau froide" ("a scalded cat is afraid of cold (not hot!) water")
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#131511 - 08/17/04 12:31 AM
Re: Scalded cats
|
member
Registered: 03/23/04
Posts: 133
|
I think the phrase does'nt mean the poor steaming cat is not afraid of hot water, but that it is afraid of ALL water.
Cute way to put it,though.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#131512 - 08/17/04 02:55 PM
Re: Scalded cats
|
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 6296
Loc: Piedmont Region of Virginia, U...
|
There must be a term from psychiatry that describes the scalded cats' transference of fear of scalding water to all water. Perhaps it's simply transference, but I suspect it's probably a term that is much more involved.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#131513 - 08/17/04 08:37 PM
Re: scalded cats' transference
|
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 11578
Loc: Louisville, Kentucky
|
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#131514 - 08/18/04 11:12 AM
Transfurence?
|
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 07/17/00
Posts: 3467
Loc: Marion NC
|
Psst, Jackie, come over here for a second. I wanna pelt you!
_________________________
TEd
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#131515 - 08/18/04 11:39 AM
Re: kitty wumpus
|
veteran
Registered: 01/06/04
Posts: 1474
Loc: California
|
scaredy cat (or fraidy cat)
The thing that I find interesting about these adjectives is that they are only used to modify the noun cat. At least in my neck of the linguistic jungle. Hmm, fraidy dog, scaredy man. Nope. But what about ascared , as in "George, usually hawkish, was awfully ascared of Liberals."? I guess they're all A-OK.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#131516 - 08/18/04 03:03 PM
Re: Scaredy cats
|
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 09/28/00
Posts: 2888
|
Un chat échaudé craint l’eau froide
I'd never heard that expression like that wsieber. Here, it is usually just Un chat échaudé crait l'eau. No mention of cold water. Very common expression.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
8419 Members
16 Forums
13686 Topics
209710 Posts
Max Online: 3341 @ 12/09/11 02:15 PM
|
|
|
1 registered (wofahulicodoc),
41
Guests and
2
Spiders online. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
31
|
|
|
|
Search
Previous Topic
Index