Saying or proverb? The cat's pajamas

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi there,

I was reading ‘Snow White’, one of Roald Dahl’s ‘Revolting Rhymes’. At a certain moment, the nasty Queen who wants to rid of poor Snow White, is in front of the magic mirror again and it says: ‘Queen, you’re the cat’s pajamas’. I already looked it up and I know that it means ‘excellent’ or ‘the highest quality’. However, where does it originate from? I’d really like to know that.

Thanks in advance.

@Alan, @Anglophile, @NearlyNapping, @Arinker.

P.S.: You really should read ‘Revolting Rhymes’, because they’re quite funny. The book is also beautiffully illustrated by Quentin Blake.

3 Likes
2

I associate it with the “Roaring Twenties” - the 1920s in the U.S.

Looking on-line, the first use is in 1918. Apparently people were making up animal related sayings such as “the bee’s knee’s” then. They’re a bit dated, but fun to use as a sort of throw back.

One source references a manufacturer of fine pajamas named Katz, but this was around 1800 and the saying doesn’t show up til over 100 years after that.

I just watched “Snow White” on a video. It’s really funny. It’s interesting that RouldDahl.org has the books and study guides for school teachers.

See you later, alligator.

2 Likes
3

Thank you very much for this wonderful historical outline. I’m really happy with and yes, see you later alligator.

By Bill Haley and His Comets. I suppose this is the sixties?

2 Likes
4

I don’t remember if I’ve heard “cat’s pajamas”, but it sounds familiar.

I’ve heard “cat’s meow” which refers to a man who attracts a lot of women. It’s often used derogatorily, but not always. “He thinks he’s the cat’s meow” implies that he thinks too highly of his prowess with women.

See ya later alligator. (said by the first person)
After a while crocodile. (reply by the second person)

Of course “cat” by itself is used to mean a person, especially a cool person. I think it probably had it’s origins in the 20s. I think a lot of these sayings came from the jazz era. The jazz clubs were hip and had a lot of slang associated with them. I picture the Cotton Club and people like Cab Calloway. Cab actually wrote a hip dictionary.

A lot of those sayings persisted well into the 60s and 70s. I used to say some of them myself.

1 Like
5

Thank you very much for your reply. So do I get this right; if a man thinks he’s the cat’s meow, he is a womanizer?

1 Like
6

Well, he thinks he is anyway. Or at least that’s how I always thought of it.

He’s the cat’s meow.
He thinks he’s the cat’s meow.

The first one is the opinion of an outsider. The second one is his opinion of himself. Saying it that way implies he has a big ego. It can be used that way, even if it doesn’t refer to womanizing. It can simply mean he has a big ego, or he thinks he’s so much cooler or better than others.

A cruder but with a similar meaning as far as ego goes is:
He thinks he’s the shits.
Or
He thinks his shit don’t stink.

2 Likes