IdiomAnimals
French
FrenchIl n'y a pas un chat
Meaning: There is nobody around at all.
Literally: There isn't a cat
Example: “Il pleuvait si fort qu'il n'y avait pas un chat dans les rues.” — It was raining so hard that there wasn't a soul in the streets.
English equivalent: Not a soul
Equivalents in other languages
English: not a soul
Origin: The cat stands as the least significant living thing that might plausibly be present, so its absence marks total emptiness. The construction is the same as English 'not a soul'.
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