cat got someone's tongue

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Phrase

cat got someone's tongue

1. (idiomatic, humorous) Why is someone not saying anything?

   Why won't you tell me that secret? Cat got your tongue?

   • 2007, “15 Step”, in In Rainbows, performed by Radiohead:

     You used to be alright / What happened? / Did the cat get your tongue? / Did your string come undone?

Translations

why are you not saying anything?

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 你成了啞巴了嗎？／你成了哑巴了吗？ (nǐ chéng le yǎba le ma?)

• Dutch: ben je je tong verloren? (literally “have you lost your tongue?”)
• Finnish: veikö kissa kielesi?
• French: tu as perdu ta langue ? (literally “have you lost your tongue/language?”), tu as donné ta langue au chat ?
• German: hast du die Sprache verloren? / haben Sie die Sprache verloren? (literally “did you lose your speech/language?”)
• Hungarian: elvitte a cica a nyelved?
• Italian: il gatto ti ha mangiato la lingua? (literally “did the cat eat your tongue?”)
• Polish: zaniemówić (pl) (literally “to dry up”), zapomnieć języka w gębie (pl) pf
• Portuguese: o gato comeu sua língua (literally “did the cat eat your tongue?”)
• Romanian: ți-a mâncat pisica limba? c
• Russian: язы́к проглоти́л? (ru) m (jazýk proglotíl?, literally “did you swallow your tongue?”), язы́к проглоти́ла? f (jazýk proglotíla?), язы́к проглоти́ли? pl (jazýk proglotíli?)
• Serbo-Croatian: maca popapala jezik? (literally “did the kitty eat (your) tongue?”)
• Slovak: stratil si reč? (literally “did you lose your speech?”)
• Spanish: ¿te ha comido la lengua el gato? (literally “has the cat eaten your tongue?”)
• Swedish: förlora/tappa talförmågan (sv)
• Turkish: dilini mi yuttun? pl (informal), dilinizi mi yuttunuz? sg (literally “have you swallowed your tongue?”) (formal)