English Idioms | Not enough room to swing a cat

TRANSCRIPT Good morning, everyone! Happy Monday! To be honest, I don’t like small and crowded places. In English, you can say about them that there is “no room to swing a cat“. Anf if you are imagining that somebody is swinging a cat, stop right there, it’s not about an animal. This saying derives from the 16th century when sailors were punished by being whipped with a special whip that was called “cat o’nine tails“, or “cat“, something like that. Below deck there was no space to swing a cat, so all the punishment was done above the deck where there was enough space to swing a cat. Barbaric, I know! I am so glad that we live in modern times where the only association with a cat is a cute fluffy pet. So, even now, I wish you to stay away from the places where there is not enough room to swing a cat. Have a great day and a wonderful week! See you next Monday! Bye-bye! Welcome to my weekly English Idioms video, where I explain idioms in English. If you have enjoyed them or found them inspiring, subscribe to the channel and feel free to leave a comment. Also, stop by and say hi on my social media: Facebook: Juliana Alangi Instagram: Juliana Teacher