Thursday, March 28, 2013

Thursday Trivia: Cat Calls

I always thought that a cat call was that thing goofy guys did when a cute girl walked by.

Boy was I wrong. (I guess those are woof whistles?)

The cat call traces its origin back to Shakespeare's time (mid-1600's), where the phrase meant to boo bad acting.

file: Wikimedia Commons public domain

It came to be known as a cat call because the booing signified the audience's opinion: that the acting sounded as bad as a fence full of yowling cats. (OUCH)

maybe not such a good name for a song?
_________
source:
Etymology Online, Wiki Answers and Memidex Online Dictionary


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17 comments:

  1. GizmoGeodogMarch 28, 2013 at 7:38 AM

    I can just picture a crowd of yowling cats in the audience of the Globe Theater ... all dressed as Puss in Boots :)

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  2. UnknownMarch 28, 2013 at 7:40 AM

    We never knew that meant booing. Have a terrific Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  3. SushiMarch 28, 2013 at 8:30 AM

    We didn't know that either. Well now we do. Thanks for sharing. =)

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  4. The Furries of WhisppyMarch 28, 2013 at 9:42 AM

    Cats don't yowl. We SING! Those humans have no appreciation for our talents. Hrummpff.

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  5. UnknownMarch 28, 2013 at 10:16 AM

    This is something that Mom didn't know. Very interesting!

    Purrs from your friends,
    Bo and Mi

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  6. wildcatwoodsMarch 28, 2013 at 10:29 AM

    Very interesting trivia today!

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  7. UnknownMarch 28, 2013 at 10:50 AM

    This is interesting trivia...who knew! Meow...
    Kitty XO

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  8. BuckyMarch 28, 2013 at 12:17 PM

    It mean booing? Whoa doods, der are gonna be a lot of construction workers wif black eyes out der once dis gets around! ROFMOL! I warned mom but she muttered dat it been a ga-zillion-million years since construction workers gave her a cat call....uh oh...guess dat was for my ears only...oh well too late...RUN FOR DA HILLS BOYZ!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. A TonlMarch 28, 2013 at 3:26 PM

      Maxwell: Bucky, dood, you're about in as much trouble as Faraday is today. He bit momma's lip in the middle of the night. HARD.

      Delete
  9. meowmeowmansMarch 28, 2013 at 2:19 PM

    Thanks for this interesting bit of trivia. We never knew that! :)

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  10. UnknownMarch 28, 2013 at 4:45 PM

    Such interesting trivia. Thanks for sharing. Purrs and hugs from the kitties at The Cat on My Head, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Josette

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  11. UnknownMarch 28, 2013 at 5:34 PM

    Now that is a good one!
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  12. MariodacatMarch 28, 2013 at 6:50 PM

    Interesting. I was doing the cat call early this morning because another kitty was trespassing on our property so I had loudly tell it to leave!!

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  13. The Island CatsMarch 28, 2013 at 8:18 PM

    We knew that but we didn't realize that the concept of cat calls dated back to Shakespeare's time. Interesting!

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  14. Summer at sparklecat.comMarch 28, 2013 at 9:40 PM

    And all this time I thought a cat call was all the racket Binga makes all day, asking to be fed!

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  15. Sweet PurrfectionsMarch 29, 2013 at 12:15 PM

    We didn't know that. How interesting.

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Coolio! A comment? For US?

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