Thursday, March 12, 2015

Thursday Trivia: Enough to Make a Cat Laugh



This saying is not used very often today, so its meaning and origin are a bit more obscure. Basically, it plays off the inherent sophistication of the feline species.

Anything humorous enough to make a cat laugh, after all, must be funny indeed!

The Laugh of Scorn. Yeah, that's usually the laugh we get over here.

Its origin is equally obscure, and though it probably predates the mid 1800's, that was the earliest published use we could find.

"James Planché 1835"
by Henry Perronet Briggs.
Public Domain.
We found it in a One Act Burletta written by British playwright James Robinson Planché.

Merriam-Webster defines a Burletta as a "usually entirely musical comic opera popular in England in the latter half of the 18th century."
(We'd never heard of it either!)

The Burletta in question was a translation of the classic French tale, Puss in Boots, adapted for the stage in December of 1837.


In the text, he writes,

 “Allow us just applause to win
  Enough to make a cat laugh.” 



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Sources:
A COMPLETE LIST OF THE DRAMATIC PRODUCTIONS OF J. R. PLANCHÉ, p.324: Puss in Boots. Burletta, One Act (with C. Dance). Olympic Theatre, 26th December, 1837.

A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, Eric Partridge. Routledge, 1937.

The Comic Encyclopedia: A Library of the Literature and History of Humor Containing Thousands of Gags, Sayings, and Stories, Evan Esar. Doubleday, Jan 1, 1978.

***

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Check out our Catster Article!
 Important news about a common - yet dangerous - household item:
http://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/cat-health-tips-shelters-shocking-truth-fabric-softener-dryer-sheets-static-electricity

16 comments:

  1. It's true, you don't hear that very often today, but I love the saying :)

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  2. I haven't heard that saying in years. I love it too! ♥

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  3. We have never heard of that saying. Interesting. Have a tremendous Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  4. We had forgotten those sayings!!! Mommy says she has not heard them since she was in University and that was eventy billion years ago!!!
    LOVES all the informations! AND your pictures! They makes mes laughs!
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  5. We love that saying. We enjoy reading your Thursday posts.
    Love,
    Lola and Lexy

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  6. interesting.. I don't think I've ever actually heard that saying

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  7. We've never heard that saying....we like it :)

    The Florida Furkids

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  8. We knew the saying, but didn't know where it came from! very interesting! There is a very sweet and funny book called "Enough to make a cat laugh" by Deric Longden! You should check it out :)

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  9. It is true that most of us are too sophisticated to be amused by what many think is humorous. However, I think the Internet is helping us loosen up.

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  10. We hadn't heard that phrase in a long time. But if your cat laughs, you know you're pretty funny. We're a tough audience.

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  11. We's never hear that saying, but we knows what we kitties laff at...the mom bean! She's crazy 'cuz she thinks she might someday, possibly convince us to do stuff we don't want to. Bwhahahaha!

    Sasha, Sami, & Saku

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  12. I don't think my humans have heard that saying, but they like it. And we all LOVE your laughing faces!

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  13. Cute photos- I must check out this dryer sheet article.

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  14. We've never heard this saying before. But us cats don't laugh at much. :)

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  15. You two have great laughing faces.

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Coolio! A comment? For US?