whip the cat

短语

呕吐

词形变化

whipped the cat whipping the cat whips the cat 三单 whips the cat whipping the cat 现在分词 whipped the cat 过去式 whipped the cat 过去分词

释义与例句

v.
  1. 1.

    To attempt to get work or money from someone who is too weak or poor to provide it.

    习语
  2. 2.

    To practice extreme parsimony.

    澳大利亚 英国 习语 废旧

    I've shanked across the Old Man Plain, after busting up a cheque, And "whipped the cat" once more again, though I haven't met it yet.

  3. 3.

    To regret; to feel self-pity

    澳大利亚 新西兰 习语
  4. 4.

    To blame someone for something that is not their fault.

    习语
  5. 5.

    To get drunk.

    习语
  6. 6.

    To go from house to house working by the day, as itinerant tailors and carpenters do.

    美国 过时 方言 习语
  7. 7.

    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see whip, cat.

    习语

词源

Originally from reference to a prank played on country bumpkins, in which they were encouraged to show their strength by whipping a cat that was harnessed to a load that was too heavy for it. This led to the sense of attempting to get more than can be provided, and by extension, to practice extreme parsimony. From there, it possibly evolved to the other senses, which tend to reflect the connotations of poverty and/or uselessness.

来源：wiktionary