whip the cat
The phrase 'whip the cat' has various meanings, many of which are considered obsolete or regional, and it is used idiomatically in different contexts.
Definition
C2General
(idiomatic, obsolete)To regret or feel self-pity.
Example
- After the failed business venture, he spent months whipping the cat.
C2General
(idiomatic, informal)To get very drunk.
Example
- They decided to whip the cat after their team lost the game.
C2General
(idiomatic, obsolete)To blame someone for something that is not their fault.
Example
- He was always whipping the cat whenever things went wrong at work.
C2Historical
(idiomatic, dated)To go from house to house working by the day, as itinerant tailors and carpenters do.
Example
- In the old days, craftsmen would whip the cat to find daily work.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "whip the cat":
whip inwhip snakewhip upcrack the whipwalk back the catwhip outwhip handcat aroundpencil whipdead catblack catherd catscat in the pancat meatwhipping boycat's meowcat's whiskers