ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tear a cat

idiom
Meaning

To overact; to violently rant and rave on stage.


Examples
SIMPLE

The actor loves to tear a cat during his dramatic scenes.

CONTEXTUAL

The director told the lead actor to stop tearing a cat and perform the scene with more subtlety.

COMPLEX

His tendency to tear a cat whenever he reached a monologue often distracted the audience from the play's underlying emotional depth.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    bell the cat

    To undertake a dangerous action in the service of a group.

  2. 02

    cat and dog life

    An unhappy married life marked by arguments and disagreements.

  3. 03

    cat got someone's tongue

    Why is someone not saying anything?

  4. 04

    cat in the meal-tub

    Something concealed; a hidden danger.

  5. 05

    cat piss

    Any beverage of low quality.

  6. 06

    cat that ate the canary

    A person who appears self-satisfied or smug, especially while concealing something mischievous, prohibited, or private.

  7. 07

    cool cat

    A person who performs or appreciates jazz, especially one whose style of speech and movement is relaxed and rhythmic.

  8. 08

    crocodile tear

    A tear shed insincerely, in a false display of sorrow or some other emotion.

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