be like a cat on a hot tin roof

== English == === Etymology === A simile developed from the behaviour of a cat observed on a hot tin roof. === Pronunciation === === Prepositional phrase === like a cat on a hot tin roof (simile, colloquial, chiefly US) Jumpy, nervous. ==== Usage notes ==== Originally phrased as like a cat on hot bricks, but this form is less common because of the play and subsequent movie titled Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955).