Tommy Tran
2021-02-04 03:02
Like a cat on hot bricks British old-fashioned simile
To be so nervous or anxious that you can't sit still or keep calm
Relax! She will be here eventually. You've been like a cat on hot bricks for an hour.
I know Jen will be like a cat on hot bricks till she knows her grades.
Johnny is like a cat on hot bricks whenever he's about to make a decision.
To shake a lot due to the cold or fear
be so excited or nervous about that something and want to know what is going to happen next
Too excited or nervous about something to be still or calm.
To feel that unpleasant or dangerous things likely happen to you
To cause someone to feel confused, worried, or upset
The earlier form of this phrase was recorded in A Collection of English Proverbs (2nd edition – 1678) by John Ray:
"To go like a cat upon a hot bake stone."
This earlier form of the phrase was used till the late 19th century.
The earliest use of the phrase is found in the Cambridge Chronicle and Journal of 26th March 1842:
"The horse which is the subject of this action […] was so lame that he went dotting along on three legs, like a cat on hot bricks — (loud laughter.)"
The American-English version of this phrase is "like a cat on a hot tin roof" and was popularized as the title of Tennessee Williams's play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
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