Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kilkenny cat

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.73 in modern English

Syllables: kilken-ny -cat
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A tenacious fighter.

Example Sentences

"Yet for my father the war was a source of considerable inner conflict; much as he detested Nazism he was psychologically incapable of desiring a British victory. (Very likely his secret wish was that Germany and Britain should do a Kilkenny cat act."
"Even pirate crews and bands of robbers prefer a peaceful settled understanding as to the division of their plunder to the Kilkenny cat plan."
"In the words of a member of the Press Gallery in 1967: 'Here we have 630 men and women, friendly – except for normal human antipathies – in private, and fighting like Kilkenny cats in public.'"

Etymology

Referring to an old story about two cats who fought to the death and ate each other up such that only their tails were left.

Inflected Forms

Kilkenny cats (plural)

Phrases

mutual assured destruction

Frequently Paired Words

mutual assured destruction

Questions

What does kilkenny cat mean?: A tenacious fighter.
Where does kilkenny cat come from?: Referring to an old story about two cats who fought to the death and ate each other up such that only their tails were left.

How to pronounce kilkenny cat

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kilkenny cat”.
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