see how the cat jumps
Preserved but no longer current.
See "which way the wind blows"; which of two alternatives is likely to be the successful one before you give any opinion of its merit or adhesion to it, either moral or otherwise. The allusion is either to the game called "tip-cat," in which before you strike you must observe which way the "cat" has jumped up, or to the cruel sport mentioned above. See HANG ME IN A BOTTLE. He soon saw which way the cat did jump, And his company he offered plump.
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 “see how the cat jumps” mean?
See "which way the wind blows"; which of two alternatives is likely to be the successful one before you give any opinion of its merit or adhesion to it, either moral or otherwise. The allusion is either to the game called "tip-cat," in which before you strike you must observe which way the "cat" has jumped up, or to the cruel sport mentioned above. See HANG ME IN A BOTTLE. He soon saw which way the cat did jump, And his company he offered plump.
Is “see how the cat jumps” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.