# is a bear Catholic

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/is-a-bear-catholic
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Obviously! Rhetorical question in response to a question where the answer is an emphatic yes.

## Examples

- Do I want a raise? Is a bear Catholic?
- Is a bear Catholic? I always drink coffee in the morning.
- When my friend asked if I was excited about the vacation, I laughed and said, 'Is a bear Catholic?'
- If you ask my brother if he wants a free ticket to the championship game, he will just say, 'Is a bear Catholic?'
- The chef looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if the secret sauce was spicy and replied, 'Is a bear Catholic?'
- When the journalist asked if the politician intended to honor his campaign promises, the candidate replied with a smirk, 'Is a bear Catholic?'

## Origin

The phrase is a deliberate contamination of two established rhetorical questions, "is the Pope Catholic?" and "does a bear shit in the woods?". It functions as an intensified affirmative by merging the religious identity of the Pope with the biological habits of the bear. A similar linguistic collision, "does the Pope shit in the woods?", is also recorded.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.