cat ice
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Very thin, almost transparent ice from which the water that was underneath has receded; so slight as to be unable to bear a cat.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “cat ice” mean?
Very thin, almost transparent ice from which the water that was underneath has receded; so slight as to be unable to bear a cat.
Is “cat ice” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.