Skin A Cat Origin

American in origin this term is similar to the british locution there are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream which appeared in charles kingsleys westward ho. Titelman does say it dates back to the 1678. The version more than one way to skin a cat seems to have nothing directly to do with the american english term to skin a cat which is to perform a gymnastic exercise that involves passing the feet and legs between the arms while hanging by the hands from a horizontal bar.
skin a cat origin

In other words there are many ways to remove its skin.

Skin a cat origin. Their is more then one way to skin a cat is not referencing the removal of flesh from our feline friendsbut rather a phrase that originated from the mississippi river region that pertains to the preparation of a catfish. The proverb appeared in john rays collection of english proverbs in 1678 and is first attested in the united states in john smiths letters. The earliest known ve. The phrase theres more than one way to skin a cat is just a more recent rendition of an older proverb that was expressed in many different ways in which various animals were killed in diverse and sundry creative fashions.

In america as any country boy. It is unclear exactly why people chose such a gruesome act for this idiom. It seems that originally the animal in question was a dog as a seventeenth century proverb is there are more ways to kill a dog than hanging. Origin of saying theres more than one way to skin a cat idiom used by author mark twain goes back to 1600s 17th century history language news origin of saying theres more than one way to.

Whats the origin of the phrase there is more than one way to skin a cat. More than one way to skin a cat there are many ways to do something. However theres more than one way to skin a cat has its roots in older similar phrases such as there are more ways to kill a cat than choking it with cream found in the 1830s. The analogy involved is somewhat debated.

Or portraitures of yankee life by seba smith. Origin of more than one to skin a cat. There are more ways than one to skin a cat so are there more ways than one of digging for money. The oldest known use of the phrase dates back to 1854 in the work way down east.

The earliest printed citation of this proverb that i can find is in a short story by the american humorist seba smith the money diggers 1840. Skin the cat according to charles earle funk in a hog on ice harper row new york 1948 the expression to skin the cat refers to a boys gymnastic trick. Some writers say it involved the literal skinning of a cat. Mark twain used the current cliche she knew more than one way to skin a cat in a connecticut yankee in king arthurs court 1889.

That name may have been suggested by the action of turning an animals skin inside out as part of the process of removing it from the body. This expression first appeared in the 1800s.