Are the phrases really related, and do they refer to felines, whips, or some other cat-like object? There's no room to swing a cat in here. You see, I have a cat, and I like to swing it - preferably in my bedroom, but any room will do - so it's very … The origin is unclear of the saying that includes "swing a dead cat." ... [Electro Swing Remix] Everybody Wants To Be A Cat (The Aristocats) - … See more. Word Origin Old English swingan ‘to beat, whip’, also ‘rush’, geswing ‘a stroke with a weapon’, of Germanic origin; related to German schwingen ‘brandish’. Though I did try to research your one afterwards but there seems to be little information to where it could have originated from. 9. "They had not space enough (according to the vulgar saying) to swing a Cat in." I had always imagined someone swinging a cat around by its tail to create an imaginary circle of a few metres in diameter and that someone who was unable to do this due to restricted space had no room to swing a cat! origin of the phrase ‘no room to swing the cat’ Pascal Tréguer etymology , literature , religion , United Kingdom Ben Jonson , cats , Christianity , dictionaries , England , London , medicine , nautical , phrases , Shakespeare , William Congreve Leave a comment The 'cat o' nine tails' isn't recorded until 1695 though, in William Congreve's Love for Love: The expression, 'no room to swing a cat' does indeed come from the sea faring days and there being insufficient room except on the quarter deck, with the crew assembled on the main deck for a flogging to take place. of Afr orig. Look like something the cat dragged in. If those dates are in fact the earliest uses then the 'cat o' nine tails' theory is wrong. Origin Whether the 'cat' was a real moggy or the flail-like whip used to punish sailors in the British Navy isn't clear. Below deck, there was no room to yield the whip, so the punishment was administered on deck, which afforded sufficient room to swing the cat. Not have a cat in hell’s chance. There are two theories about "not enough room to swing a cat," neither of them very cheerful. One is that the phrase refers to the "cat o'nine tails," a nine-thonged whip used in the days of square-rigged ships to discipline unruly sailors. Meaning: When some something has no chance of success, it doesn’t have a cat in hell’s chance. No room to swing a cat. Room definition, a portion of space within a building or other structure, separated by walls or partitions from other parts: a dining room. They go up to the real estate agent, and ask: "excuse me, but is there enough room to swing a cat in here? What Is the Origin of the Saying "Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat"? "Dead Cat (2002) From the phrase "you can't swing a dead cat without hitting something." Definition of not enough room to swing a cat in the Definitions.net dictionary. More Synonyms of cat. Word Origin Old English catt, catte, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kat and German Katze; ... no room to swing a cat (informal) when somebody says there’s no room to swing a cat, they mean that a room is very small and that there is not enough space.