Timeline for Which phrase attributed to the “cat-o'-nine tails” is the most credible?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
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| Oct 2, 2020 at 3:17 | comment | added | BoldBen | There is a suggestion that the 'cat o' nine tails' did not exist, or at least was not so called, until the 17th century and so cannot be the origin of the term "no room to swing a cat". Having looked at the reference to 'cat-stick' I wonder whether the name 'cat o nine tails' was originally a description of a particular type of cat-stick, That is a cat-stick with nine tails rather than the more usual one or none. This would mean that "there isn't room to swing a cat" would relate to the swinging of cat-stick in general rather than specifically to cats o' nine tails. | |
| Oct 1, 2020 at 19:20 | history | edited | TaliesinMerlin | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 1889 characters in body
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| Oct 1, 2020 at 18:52 | history | answered | TaliesinMerlin | CC BY-SA 4.0 |