Cat Got Your Tongue? What Does That Mean? - Learn English Idioms
Channel: Matt and Kelly's Adventures
Date: 12/04/2021

Why do we ask "Cat got your tongue?" How did a cat get a tongue? Let's explore where this phrase came from, and how we can use it in our vocabulary!

Learn English with the help of Matt and Kelly! We're starting our video series exploring the fun origins of English Idioms and strange expressions that you may hear in movies or read in books. This week's idiom comes from many different sources from around the world.

The expression "Cat got your tongue" is allegedly as old as they pyramids in Egypt, where unruly criminals would have their tongues cut out as a form of punishment for telling lies or speaking poorly about others. There's also another theory that the phrase comes from the time of pirates.