when the cat's away the mice will play

English

Alternative forms

• while the cat’s away the mice will play, when the cat's away

Proverb

when the cat’s away the mice will play

1. In the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances.

Translations

in the absence of a controlling entity, subordinates will take advantage of circumstances

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 山中无老虎，猴子称大王, 山中無老虎，猴子稱大王 ‎(shānzhōng wú lǎohǔ, hóuzi chēng dàwáng) ("When there're no tigers in the hill, the monkeys are emperors.")

• Czech: když není kocour doma, myši mají pré
• Danish: når katten er ude, spiller musene på bordet
• Dutch: als de kat van huis is, dansen de muizen op tafel (nl)
• Esperanto: kiam kato promenas, la musoj festenas
• Estonian: kui kassid läinud, on hiirtel pidu
• Finnish: kun kissa on poissa, hiiret hyppivät pöydällä
• French: quand le chat n'est pas là, les souris dansent (fr), le chat parti, les souris dansent (fr)
• German: ist die Katze aus dem Haus, tanzen die Mäuse auf dem Tisch
• Greek: όταν λείπει η γάτα χορεύουν τα ποντίκια ‎(ótan leípei i gáta chorévoun ta pontíkia)
• Hungarian: ha nincs otthon a macska, cincognak az egerek (hu)
• Irish: Nuair a bhíonn an cat amuigh, bíonn na lucha ag rince
• Italian: quando il gatto non c'è, i topi ballano
• Japanese: 鬼いぬ間の洗濯 ‎(おにいぬまのせんたく, oni inu ma-no sentaku)
• Khmer: ឆ្មា​មិន​នៅ កណ្ដុរ​ឡើង​រាជ្យ ‎(cmaa mɨn nɨv kɑndol laəŋ riec)

• Korean: 고양이가 없으면 쥐가 살판이 난다 ‎(goyang-iga eopseumyeon jwiga salpani nanda)
• Latin: audacem reddit felis absentia murem
• Norwegian: når katten er borte, danser musene på bordet (when the cat’s away, the mice are dancing on the table)
• Persian: در خانه کسی که گربه نباشد موش کدخداست
• Polish: gdy kota nie ma, myszy harcują (pl)
• Portuguese: quando o gato sai, os ratos fazem a festa
• Romanian: când pisica nu-i acasă, joacă șoarecii pe masă
• Russian: без кота́ мыша́м раздо́лье ‎(bez kotá myšám razdólʹje) (without the cat, it’s freedom to the mice)
• Serbo-Croatian: где мачке у кући нема ту мишеви коло воде, gde mačke u kući nema tu miševi kolo vode
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: gaž jo kócor z domu, ga maju myšy swóju wólu

• Spanish: cuando el gato no está, bailan los ratones, cuando el gato no esta los ratones están de fiesta
• Swedish: när katten är borta, dansar råttorna på bordet
• Telugu: రౌతు మెత్తనైతే గుర్రం మూడు కాళ్ళ మీద పరిగెత్తుతుంది ‎(rautu mettanaitē gurraṃ mūḍu kāḷḷa mīda parigettutuṃdi)
• Vietnamese: vắng chủ nhà, gà vọc niêu tôm

References

• Gregory Y. Titelman, Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, 1996, ISBN 0-679-44554-4, p. 367.