to turn cat-in-pan
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To turn traitor, to be a turncoat. The phrase seems to be the Fr. tourner cote en peine (to turn sides in trouble).
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 “to turn cat-in-pan” mean?
To turn traitor, to be a turncoat. The phrase seems to be the Fr. tourner cote en peine (to turn sides in trouble).
Is “to turn cat-in-pan” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.