IdiomAnimals
Japanese
Japanese猫の額 (Neko no hitai)
Meaning: A very small space, especially of land.
Literally: A cat's forehead
Example: “うちの庭は猫の額ほどしかない。” — There's no room to swing a cat in our garden.
English equivalent: No room to swing a cat
Equivalents in other languages
English: no room to swing a cat
Origin: A cat's forehead is a tiny, narrow strip between ears and eyes. Japanese uses it for a very small piece of land, such as a cramped garden. No particular story lies behind it.
More Japanese idioms
- 腹が黒い (hara ga kuroi) Scheming and malicious behind a friendly face.
- お茶を濁す (ocha o nigosu) To dodge a question with a vague, evasive answer.
- 朝飯前 (Asameshi mae) A task so easy it can be done before eating.
- 二階から目薬 (Nikai kara megusuri) A roundabout effort that has no real effect.
- 喉から手が出る (Nodo kara te ga deru) To want something so badly you can hardly bear it.
- 棚から牡丹餅 (Tana kara botamochi) An unexpected stroke of good luck.
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