English Reference
Idiom idiom

who's 'she', the cat's mother


A rebuke especially directed towards children for having referred to a woman in the nominative case as "she", instead of by her name or an appropriately respectful title.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

“My grandmother always says, 'Who's she, the cat's mother?' when I say she.”

CONTEXTUAL

“When I told my aunt that she should sit down, she looked at me and asked, 'Who's she, the cat's mother?'”

COMPLEX

“Whenever a child referred to a woman by a pronoun in her presence, she would sternly ask, 'Who's she, the cat's mother?' to demand better manners.”


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    and his mother

    Serves as an intensifier for an inclusive noun or phrase such as everyone, anyone, each someone or all someones.

  2. 02

    be mother

    To pour out tea for others.

  3. 03

    bell the cat

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

  4. 04

    black over Bill's mother's

    Describing rain-bearing dark clouds on the horizon.

  5. 05

    cat and dog life

    An unhappy married life marked by arguments and disagreements.

  6. 06

    cat got someone's tongue

    Why is someone not saying anything?

  7. 07

    cat in the meal-tub

    Something concealed; a hidden danger.

  8. 08

    cat piss

    Any beverage of low quality.

Last updated August 10, 2026