not enough room to swing a cat

== English == === Etymology === Attested 1665, by which point already in common use; perhaps of naval slang origin. While it is frequently stated that the phrase is derived from cat-o’-nine-tails (“type of whip”), this latter term is only attested from 1695, and hence this idiom presumably derived from literally swinging a cat around, as by the tail. === Noun === not enough room to swing a cat (uncountable) (informal) Very little space (available) (of a very small room). 1665, Richard Kephale Medela Pestilentiae They had not space enough (according to the vulgar saying) to swing a Cat in. ==== Usage notes ==== By extension from the idea of confined space, the idiom that one can't swing a cat without hitting an X conveys that the relevant context is lousy with X. Thus, the statement that you can't swing a cat without hitting a fool around here conveys that fools are (superfluously) plentiful around here. ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== packed like sardines confined, cramped, tiny === References ===