English Explanatory Dictionary

not enough room to swing a cat

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Very little space (available) (of a very small room).

Word forms

not enough room to swing a cat

Etymology

Attested 1665, by which point already in common use; perhaps of naval slang origin. While it is frequently stated that the phrase is derived from cat-o’-nine-tails (“type of whip”), this latter term is only attested from 1695, and hence this idiom presumably derived from literally swinging a cat around, as by the tail.

Related words

packed like sardines confined cramped tiny
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