1. Referring to the proverbial enmity between the two animals: attrib. Full of strife; inharmonious; quarrelsome.
1579. Gosson, Sch. Abuse (Arb.), 27. He … shall see them agree like Dogges and Cattes.
a. 1745. Swift, Phyllis (D.). They keep at Staines the old Blue Boar, Are cat and dog, and rogue and whore.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., ii. Married he was … and a cat-and-dog life she led with Tony.
1822. in W. Cobbett, Rur. Rides (1885), I. 96. The fast-sinking Old Times newspaper, its cat-and-dog opponent the New Times.
1867. Trollope, Chron. Barset, I. xliii. 384. They … were gracious … and abstained from all cat-and-dog absurdities.
2. To rain cats and dogs: to rain very heavily. Also attrib., raining heavily.
1738. Swift, Polite Conv., II. (D.). I know Sir John will go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs.
1819. Shelley, Lett. to Peacock, 25 Feb. It began raining cats and dogs.
1849. Thackeray, in Scribner’s Mag., I. 551/1. Pouring with rain … and the most dismal … cat and dog day.
3. A game played with a piece of wood called a cat (cf. CAT sb.1 10 a.) and a club called a dog.
1808. in Jamieson.
1884. Public Opinion, 5 Sept., 301/2. Cat and dog is in one sense a classical game. Bunyan tells us that he was playing at it.
Hence Cat-and-doggish a.
1817. Scott, Search after Happiness, xvii.
| John Bull, whom, in their years of early strife, | |
| She wont to lead a cat-and-doggish life. |
1878. Mrs. Oliphant, Within Precincts, xxxi. in Cornh. Mag., XXXVIII. 648. To live under the same roof, a cat-and-doggish life.
