cat got your tongue
1
said to someone who is annoyingly quiet when they are expected to speak
The idiom "cat got your tongue" is believed to have emerged in the early 20th century and may be related to the idea that a cat's tongue is rough, which could symbolize difficulty in speaking or reluctance to do so. It is used to describe a situation where someone is unusually silent or unable to speak, often when they are expected to respond or provide an answer.
- Why are you so quiet?Has the cat got your tongue?
- You're usually so talkative, but today, it's like the cat got your tongue.What's on your mind?
- When her friend suddenly stopped talking about the party, Sarah asked, "Hey, cat got your tongue?You were so excited about it earlier."