cat got someone's tongue
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Unable to speak due to nervousness or surprise
Literally: a cat has taken someone's tongue
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I was so shocked I couldn't answer, it was as if the cat got my tongue
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “cat got someone's tongue” mean?
Unable to speak due to nervousness or surprise Literally: a cat has taken someone's tongue
Is “cat got someone's tongue” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.