when the cat's away, the mice will play
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: when the cat's away the mice will play · when the cat's away the mice play
Sense 1
People misbehave or relax when the person in charge is absent.
Mọi người sẽ làm bậy khi không có người kiểm soát
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Commenting on behavior in a supervisor’s absence — usually lightly.
Register: neutralConnotation: wryEra: 16th century – present
Examples
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sense 2
In the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Equivalents & related
Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.
Common questions
What does “when the cat's away, the mice will play” mean?
People misbehave or relax when the person in charge is absent. Literally: Mice play when the cat is gone.
Is “when the cat's away, the mice will play” formal or informal?
when the cat's away, the mice will play is generally neutral; connotation: wry.
What is the closest equivalent?
“vắng chủ nhà, gà vọc niêu tôm” (Tiếng Việt) — direct equivalent.