Variants
put the cat among the pigeons,
set the cat among the pigeons,
throw the cat among the pigeons
Meaning
- do or say something that causes trouble and make a lot of people angry or worried
- refers to saying or doing something that imminently annoys people
- the action done causes a lot of trouble, and people tend to get angry and worried, probably because of their sensitive nature
- used in an event where a particular issue has led to complaints and discomfort among the majority of people
- there is a chance that the action or statement made is quite controversial in the people's eyes, making them react to the statement
Example Sentences
- The foreigner put the cat among the pigeons when he made some sensitive comments about the people's religion.
- Political leaders often set the cat among the pigeons when they make false promises to the crowd.
- The President's admission of his crimes against the rights of the people imminently put the cat among the pigeons.
- The manager set the cat among the pigeons when he decided that all workers would work during this holiday season.
- The information of deducting 15% of salary packages of all the employees of York Electronics company throw the cat among the pigeons, and many employees started resigning immediately and joining the competitor company.
Origin
It is a British term that originates from colonial India. During this period, there was a practice where the people put a wild cat in a cage with pigeons. The people would then make bets on the number of birds that the cat would bring down with one paw-swipe. This, in turn, led to the phrase, " put or set the cat among the pigeons."
This expression was first recorded in J Stevens' New Spanish and English Dictionary (1706), where it is explained as referring to a man coming into the company of a group of women. The idiom "flutter the dovecotes" is based on the same idea of a group of pigeons as a tranquil or harmless community.
