cat around

English

Etymology

Perhaps referring to the behavior of a cat in heat.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

cat around (third-person singular simple present cats around, present participle catting around, simple past and past participle catted around)

1. (slang, sex, intransitive) To engage in sex with various partners; to sleep around; to cheat on a sexual partner.

   Synonym: alley cat

   • 1998, Francis Hugh De Souza, No. 3, Templeton Place, page 171:

     Mrs S. was convinced that any girl who visited a boy in his bedsitter after 10 p.m. was up to no good. 'If you boys want to cat around, okay, but you're not going to do it under my roof! This is a respectable house!' she was fond of saying whenever she suspected we were trying to put one across her - which was practically all the time.

   • 2004, Dale Maharidge, Michael Williamson, And their children after them, page 133:

     Before then, I catted around, ever since the urge came to me. I learned blond hair, blue eyes, an innocent look works with women. I had many girls. I stayed out to all hours. Mother never cared.

   • 2008, Meg Cabot, Airhead, page 221:

     None of them seemed to know that Nikki had been catting around behind Brandon's back with her roommate's boyfriend (thank God).

2. (slang, intransitive, US) To wander; to waste time or idle.