like a cat on a hot tin roof
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]A simile developed from the behaviour of a cat observed on a hot tin roof.
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Prepositional phrase
[edit]- (simile, colloquial, chiefly US) Jumpy, nervous.
Usage notes
[edit]Originally phrased as like a cat on hot bricks, but this form is less common because of the 1955 play and subsequent movie titled Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.