Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising that there are many expressions about cats. Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud or satisfied with himself, we say he looks like the cat that ate the canary.

Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches.

So if you play cat and mouse with someone, you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.

A cat will often catch a small animal and present it to its owner. The saying that looks like something the cat dragged in describes something in bad condition.

Two old and funny expressions describe something that is the best or finest. Americans might say that something is the cat's meow and the cat's pajamas.

Children might call a child who is easily frightened a fraidy cat or a scaredy cat. A copycat is someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person's work. A fat cat is a person with a lot of money.

You may have known that cats spend most of their time sleeping. Sometimes people sleep for a short time during the day. This is called a cat nap.

If you tell about something that was supposed to be a secret, we say you let the cat out of the bag. If you are not able to speak or answer a question someone might ask if the cat has got your tongue.

Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes? When the cat's away, the mice will play means people sometimes misbehave when there is no supervision.

You may have heard this expression: curiosity killed the cat. This means being too concerned about things that are not your business might cause problems.

If your home is very small, you might say there is not enough room to swing a cat. But you probably should not try this at home!

If you ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something. Cats are not like sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult or impossible job is like herding cats.

We leave you with a song from the musical play, "Cats."

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus.

looks like the cat that ate the canary: 看起來一副心滿意足的樣子

play cat and mouse with someone: 戲弄某人；蒙騙某人

that looks like something the cat dragged in: 人或物狀態不好的；臟兮兮的

the cat's meow: 最好的，最棒的

the cat's pajamas: 卓越的（或出色的、極好的）人（或事，物）

fraidy cat: 膽小鬼

scaredy cat: 膽小鬼

copycat: 無主見的人；盲目的模仿者

fat cat: 有錢人

cat nap: 打瞌睡；小睡一會

let the cat out of the bag: 泄露秘密

the cat has got your tongue: 啞巴了？為什么不說話？

When the cat's away, the mice will play: 閻王不在，小鬼做怪

curiosity killed the cat: 好奇傷身

there is not enough room to swing a cat: 沒有足夠的空間；非常狹小

like herding cats: 不可能完成的任務

Related stories:

你是哪種“貓”？

The Loudest Cat? 這只英國貓可能是世界上嗓門最大的

英國首相府迎來新任“第一貓”

享受輕松好心情，就在貓咪咖啡館

（來源：VOA 編輯：崔旭燕）