Also: Like something the cat brought in
Meaning of the Idiom ‘Like Something the Cat Dragged In’
A person who looks like something the cat dragged in is messy, bedraggled, dirty, or exhausted looking. 1Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
The expression is basically used to mean ‘you don’t look good.’ It is not intended to be cruel but instead carries a touch of lightheartedness.
Sentence Examples
“As for getting up in the dead of night to feed the baby, Billy says I look like desolation–’like something the cat dragged in,’ was his latest pretty compliment. — Saturday’s Child (Kathleen Norris, 1914)
“He sure looks like something the cat dragged in,” Hank continued. “What for you don’t bury him in time?” — Saturday Evening Post (Volume 184, 1911)
“A razor,” Pike pleaded. “I want to get rid of this spinach. I must look like something the cat dragged in.” — Everybody’s Magazine (Volume 47, 1922)
“And now this last little stunt where you disappeared again. Coming home, looking like something the cat dragged in. That will not happen again while you are living under my roof!” — American Horror Story: Bullseye (2014)
“Where you been hanging out, son? Good God, Sam. You look like something the cat dragged in.” — Hammett (1982)
Origin
Used since around 1910.
This idiom alludes to a cat bringing his prey, such as a mouse or bird, home.
More Idioms Starting with L
- Like Herding Cats
- Look What the Cat Dragged In
- Losing My Religion
- Like Nobody’s Business
- Lot Riding On Something, a
More Animal Idioms
More Cat Idioms
More Drag Idioms
More ‘In’ Idioms
More Like Idioms
- Like Herding Cats
- Like Nobody’s Business
- Know Something Like the Back Of One’s Hand
- Watch Like a Hawk
- Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel