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not enough room to swing a cat

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not enough room to swing a cat

Rur. not very much space. Their living room was very small. There wasn't enough room to swing a cat. How can you work in a small room like this? There's not enough room to swing a cat.

See also: cat, enough, not, room, swing

not enough room to swing a cat

Very little space, cramped quarters, as in There's not enough room to swing a cat in this tent. This expression, first recorded in 1771, is thought to allude to the cat-o'-nine-tails, or "cat," a whip with nine lashes widely used to punish offenders in the British military.

See also: cat, enough, not, room, swing

not enough room to swing a cat

tv. very crowded or cramped; [of a room] small, It’s really crowded in here. Not enough room to swing a cat.

See also: cat, enough, not, room, swing