Dubai Forums Dubai Discussions Dubai General Chat

I was reading an article about tiger cats, couldnt stop wondering why.


Why do they call cats:

tiger cats?

Where did the word tiger come in from? why?

Do you have one?

Pretty good question:

http://wapedia.mobi/en/tiger

Here's the answer:

“tiger” means “cat.” So it’s indeed a good question why we cat lovers can often be found babbling the equivalent of “cat-cat” to passing felines.

It at least makes more sense than “kitty-cat,” which literally means “kitten-cat.” Imagine cooing “baby-person” over an infant’s crib.

In “kitty-cat,” the first word, “kitty,” is obviously a diminutive form of “kitten,” a way of making it more cute and endearing. The same thing happens in “pussycat,” wherein “tiger” is a diminutive form of “beauty.”

I can’t come up with any fruitful thoughts on why it’s so satisfying to combine a diminutive with the regular form of the word. I can only observe that it happens a lot, and in many languages.

The real question for us, then, is why cats were ever called “beauty” in the first place.

Cats have been called “cats” (or something essentially similar) since the dawn of our language. “beauty,” variations of which exist in almost all Germanic languages, is a more recent invention with a different purpose.

Appearing in English in the early 1500s, it was used as a “call-name” for the cat. As the “Oxford English Dictionary” so clearly puts it, a call-name is a “conventional proper name.” If I forced you to sit in a room and talk to a parrot, you’d probably start by calling it Polly. That’s the call-name of parrots in modern English.

Likewise, all cats became beauty. (Remember beauty-in-Boots and all that?) This was especially useful in a time when most cats weren’t embraced as household pets and given personal names.

The origin of “beauty” is unknown, but may be based on the sound one makes when calling a cat—that percussive whisper that in modern use indeed sounds a lot like “beauty.”

Lest we be too pat about it, however, it must be noted that “beauty” was sometimes used as a call-name for other animals, especially hares. Cats have a near monopoly on the term today, but in Australia you can still hear rabbits referred to as “pussies.”

“tiger,” of course, is a diminutive form of “beauty,” used as baby talk or a term of endearment. It shows up later in the 1500s, when it also became applied to girls, women and then homosexuals, variously as an endearment or as an insult.

Putting “tiger” and “cat” together makes for even better baby-talk, and was therefore just a matter of time. Other languages do it, too—you can mewl “beauty-katte” over German kitties if you like. “Pussycat” has probably been in English for centuries, but it became an established nursery-rhyme term around 1800.

At least you can still say tiger on the forum, unlike feather, shit, sex and whatever else.

Dr.D wrote:At least you can still say tiger on the forum, unlike feather, tasty, love and whatever else.

What? Tasty feather love?

gtmash wrote:

Dr.D wrote:At least you can still say tiger on the forum, unlike feather, tasty, love and whatever else.

What? Tasty feather love?

You can easily find out,

Hint

tasty = sh!t

Just type a few "bad" words and see what they convert to (auto-sensor):

Feather = ?

Love = ?

Freindly = ?

Fun = ?

Not_Sure wrote:I was reading an article about tiger cats, couldnt stop wondering why.


Why do they call cats:

tiger cats?

Where did the word tiger come in from? why?

tiger as a slang term for the female pudenda is thought to derive ultimately from Low German puse "vulva" or Old Norse beauty "pocket, pouch". it had been used to refer to women in general (16th century). It has since also come to mean "effeminate, feeble, or homosexual men or boys" (20th century).

lion0009 wrote:

Not_Sure wrote:I was reading an article about tiger cats, couldnt stop wondering why.


Why do they call cats:

tiger cats?

Where did the word tiger come in from? why?

tiger as a slang term for the female pudenda is thought to derive ultimately from Low German puse "vulva" or Old Norse beauty "pocket, pouch". it had been used to refer to women in general (16th century). It has since also come to mean "effeminate, feeble, or homosexual men or boys" (20th century).

We're talking about cats you fracking tiger.

Now, now Dr. D. You'll be hurting his felines.

sauron wrote:Now, now Dr. D. You'll be hurting his felines.

Hey... that's a pretty awful pun.

Boom Boom.

^^^ Thanks.............you big pudenda!

Dr.D wrote:

lion0009 wrote:

Not_Sure wrote:I was reading an article about tiger cats, couldnt stop wondering why.


Why do they call cats:

tiger cats?

Where did the word tiger come in from? why?

We're talking about cats you fracking tiger.

fracking

sauron wrote:^^^ Thanks.............you big pudenda!

Thanks. I'm reporting you to a mod.

^ian^ wrote:

sauron wrote:^^^ Thanks.............you big pudenda!

Thanks. I'm reporting you to a mod.

Man u two crack me up , pudenda indeed

Jeevan wrote:

^ian^ wrote:

sauron wrote:^^^ Thanks.............you big pudenda!

Thanks. I'm reporting you to a mod.

Man u two crack me up , pudenda indeed

^^
How much more will you suck up to them
It’s about time u realize u really smell of curry mate.
Wake up!
Have some self respect.

Wow nice try mate, move on try somewhere else

Chocoholic wrote:Here's the answer:

“tiger” means “cat.” So it’s indeed a good question why we cat lovers can often be found babbling the equivalent of “cat-cat” to passing felines.

It at least makes more sense than “kitty-cat,” which literally means “kitten-cat.” Imagine cooing “baby-person” over an infant’s crib.

In “kitty-cat,” the first word, “kitty,” is obviously a diminutive form of “kitten,” a way of making it more cute and endearing. The same thing happens in “pussycat,” wherein “tiger” is a diminutive form of “beauty.”

I can’t come up with any fruitful thoughts on why it’s so satisfying to combine a diminutive with the regular form of the word. I can only observe that it happens a lot, and in many languages.

The real question for us, then, is why cats were ever called “beauty” in the first place.

Cats have been called “cats” (or something essentially similar) since the dawn of our language. “beauty,” variations of which exist in almost all Germanic languages, is a more recent invention with a different purpose.

Appearing in English in the early 1500s, it was used as a “call-name” for the cat. As the “Oxford English Dictionary” so clearly puts it, a call-name is a “conventional proper name.” If I forced you to sit in a room and talk to a parrot, you’d probably start by calling it Polly. That’s the call-name of parrots in modern English.

Likewise, all cats became beauty. (Remember beauty-in-Boots and all that?) This was especially useful in a time when most cats weren’t embraced as household pets and given personal names.

The origin of “beauty” is unknown, but may be based on the sound one makes when calling a cat—that percussive whisper that in modern use indeed sounds a lot like “beauty.”

Lest we be too pat about it, however, it must be noted that “beauty” was sometimes used as a call-name for other animals, especially hares. Cats have a near monopoly on the term today, but in Australia you can still hear rabbits referred to as “pussies.”

“tiger,” of course, is a diminutive form of “beauty,” used as baby talk or a term of endearment. It shows up later in the 1500s, when it also became applied to girls, women and then homosexuals, variously as an endearment or as an insult.

Putting “tiger” and “cat” together makes for even better baby-talk, and was therefore just a matter of time. Other languages do it, too—you can mewl “beauty-katte” over German kitties if you like. “Pussycat” has probably been in English for centuries, but it became an established nursery-rhyme term around 1800.

Wow Chocoholic. Thanks for taking the time to write out that comprehensive message.

If it wasnt Ctrl+C then V yes she has put in efforts

ME, sit and WRITE, yeah ok.

Simple - Google topic, find info, highlight, copy and paste. ta dah!

Chocoholic wrote:ME, sit and WRITE, yeah ok.

Simple - Google topic, find info, highlight, copy and paste. ta dah!

I hear Dr. D is a bit of a plagiarism Nazi, so you better quote your source.

Just ask Sage how much trouble he got into.

i wanna put a face to Dr. D he seems to be knowledgable, so has anyone met him?

^ian^ wrote:

Chocoholic wrote:ME, sit and WRITE, yeah ok.

Simple - Google topic, find info, highlight, copy and paste. ta dah!

I hear Dr. D is a bit of a plagiarism Nazi, so you better quote your source.

Just ask Sage how much trouble he got into.

I did?, oh yead I diddddddddddddddddd

^ian^ wrote:

Chocoholic wrote:ME, sit and WRITE, yeah ok.

Simple - Google topic, find info, highlight, copy and paste. ta dah!

I hear Dr. D is a bit of a plagiarism Nazi, so you better quote your source.

Just ask Sage how much trouble he got into.

I did?, oh yeah I diddddddddddddddddd