nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
/ˈnɝvəs(ˈ)æz‿ə ˈlɑŋˌteɪld ˈkæt(ˈ)ɪn‿ə ˈɹum(ˈ)fʊl ʌv ˈɹɑkɪŋˌt͡ʃɛɹz/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English
76
Scrabble Score
49
Letters
10
Syllables
18
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "And to top things off, Osama bin Laden has released another audiotape threatening more attacks in the west, which conjures up unpleasant visions of even greater unrest. It all makes oil traders feel as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs."
- "The excitement is in the air here in DC, where rumor has it that the Supreme Court is about to hand down a decision on Heller. Finally, hopefully, we'll have an answer: does the Second Amendment protect an individual right, or not? If so, we can then get down to wrangling about whether that right is incorporated against the states. I confess, I'm as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I have no particular desperate longing to own a gun, but I have a big jones for more personal liberty."
- "Foreign governments are also waiting to see what will happen in Cairo. NBC’s Brian Williams said Israelis are “as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”"
- "And when the denouement came, a surprise encounter with the Russian gangster who killed his [Alex Godman’s] uncle, it was a wild-eyed affair, played brilliantly by [James] Norton, who looked as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs."
Etymology
A more elaborate form of nervous as a cat. The implication is that the cat is afraid of its long tail being caught underneath a rocking chair.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈnɝvəs(ˈ)æz‿ə ˈlɑŋˌteɪld ˈkæt(ˈ)ɪn‿ə ˈɹum(ˈ)fʊl ʌv ˈɹɑkɪŋˌt͡ʃɛɹz/
- British English: /ˈnɜːvəs(ˈ)æz‿ə ˈlɒŋˌteɪld ˈkæt(ˈ)ɪn‿ə ˈɹʊm(ˈ)fʊl ɒv ˈɹɒkɪŋˌt͡ʃɛəz/