English · Idiom Historical

CATS below

Preserved but no longer current.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

It is probable that the custom of tormenting cats by the ignorant arose from their supposed connexion with witches.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

torturing mèo bởi những người thiếu kiến thức có thể bắt nguồn từ mối liên hệ được cho là của chúng với phù thủy

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

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.

Topics: Cats Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “CATS below” mean?

It is probable that the custom of tormenting cats by the ignorant arose from their supposed connexion with witches.

Is “CATS below” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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