cat's meow

cat's meow

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌkætsmiˈaʊ̯/
• While "meow" is often pronounced in one syllable /mjaʊ̯/, in this phrase it is almost always pronounced in two syllables /miˈaʊ̯/.

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

cat's meow

1. (idiomatic, dated) A self-satisfied person.
2. (idiomatic) A highly sought-after and fancy example of something.[1]

   That new car was really the cat's meow.

Synonyms

• (highly sought-after example of something):

  the bee's knees

  the cat's pyjamas, the cat's whiskers

  cat's ass (vulgar)

  the bomb

  the fox's socks

  the shit (vulgar)

References

1. New York Times, August 6, 1922: "The flapper tells her "cakie" that a Chauve Souris sundae is "just the cat's meow"."