scaredy cat, scaredy cat.

Why is it that people use the phraise scaredy cat. I mean my dog Sherbert (no i did not name her) is always running away and getting beat up by my cat. Woz up wit dat.

Its super weird cause a nick name for my dog is the jedi knight.

[Edited on 1-11-2004 by shorty]

You should have seen the old cat we had. She used to sit in the branches of a tree and leap on dogs' backs to torment them

I have no Idea where scaredy cat came from, but its certainly not true with alot of cats I know.

Originally posted by Pisky
You should have seen the old cat we had. She used to sit in the branches of a tree and leap on dogs' backs to torment them

Funny...he seems to fit you perfectly. I dunno why, but I keep seeing that PixyBaby jumping off a tree onto the back of a dog!

Etymology of feline expressions, easy read version:

"Cats certainly are not cowards, but they are definitely smart enough to scamper away (often up the nearest tree) when a larger enemy threatens them. Hence the terms fraidy cat and scaredy-cat!"

www.moggies.co.uk... You can see about curiosity killing the cat, nine lives, and the cat getting your tongue as well.

Or scariness in general:

c.1200, from O.N. skirra "to frighten," related to skjarr "timid, shy," of unknown origin. The noun is attested from 1530. To scare up "procure, obtain" is first recorded 1846, Amer.Eng., from notion of rousing game from cover. Scarecrow first recorded 1553, earliest ref. is to a person employed to scare birds. Stick-figure sense is implied by 1589. Scary is first recorded 1582; scaremonger is from 1888. To scare up "find, produce" is 1853, from the notion of hunters rousing game Scared stiff first recorded 1900; scared #less is from 1936. Scaredy-cat "timid person" first attested 1933, in Dorothy Parker.

Thanks all.

Cats are smarter than dogs.