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WHILE THE CAT'S AWAY, THE MICE WILL PLAY definition: 1. said when the person who is in charge of a place is not there, and the people there behave badly…. Learn more.
Jun 28, 2024 · The phrase ‘While the cat’s away the mice will play’ is derived from a mediaeval Latin proverb, which is ‘Dum felis dormit, mus gaudet et exsi litantro’. The literal translation from Latin to English is ‘When the cat sleeps, the mouse leaves its hole, rejoicing’.
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Look at the picture and try to guess the meaning of the idiom 'while the cats away the mice will play.' when / while the cat's away the mice will playis an expression that describes how people will behave badly or as they like when a supervisor or other authority figure is not present. Note: It's common to just use the first part of the idiom, "whi...
— I'd never leave my kids at home alone while I'm out of town. As they say, while the cat's away... — They say "while the cat's away the mice will play" but my assistant isn't like that at all. — Party at my house this weekend: while the cat's away, the mice will play. — I left the classroom for five minutes and when I returned it was chaos. Ugh, w...
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One of the most famous and oldest idioms in the English language is, “when the cat’s away, the mice will play.” This phrase/sentence indicates when someone, usually an authoritative person, isn’t around, the people left to themselves do things they may not approve of.
If you say when the cat's away or while the cat's away, you mean that people behave badly when their boss or another person in authority is not there. While the cat's away — while a supervisor was out, employees were coming in late.
When the cat’s away, the mice will play is a proverbial saying that means when the person in charge or authority is not present, people will take advantage of their newfound freedom to behave as they please, and thus will disregard and break the rules.
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Idiom: While the cat's away, the mouse will play. Meaning: People whose behaviour is strictly controlled go over the top when the authority is not around, which is why most teenagers have parties when their parents have gone on holiday.
