While The Cat’s Away, The Mice Will Play – Meaning, Origin and Usage
‘While the cat’s away, the mice will play’ is one of the phrases you tend to hear a lot. It may be an old phrase, but it comes up again and again in different circumstances.
If you’re not too sure what it means, or how to use the phrase, you needn’t worry because you’ve come to the perfect place. I’ll be unpacking it all for you, including saying how the phrase originated, and some examples of how you can use it. I’ll also throw in some alternative words and phrases it can be compared with.
What is the Meaning of the phrase ‘While The Cat’s Away, The Mice Will Play’?
While the authority figure (or supervisor) is gone, the people (or subordinates) will dismiss the rules, and (potentially) behave badly or improperly.
The phrase implies that dishonest behaviour is a basic and innate trait. The phrase is also worded ‘When the cat’s away, the mice will play.’
What is the Origin of the phrase ‘While The Cat’s Away, The Mice Will Play’?
If you thought this phrase comes from the ‘Tom and Jerry’ cartoon, you’d be wrong – it’s far, far older than that.
The phrase ‘While the cat’s away the mice will play’ is derived from a mediaeval Latin proverb, which is ‘Dum felis dormit, mus gaudet et exsi litantro’. The literal translation from Latin to English is ‘When the cat sleeps, the mouse leaves its hole, rejoicing’.
Interestingly, the proverb crops up amid a wide range of cultures and languages, including:
Spanish: ‘Cuando el gato no está los ratones hacen fiesta’
German: ‘Wenn die Katze aus dem Haus ist, tanzen die Mäuse auf dem Tisch’
French: ‘Ou chat na rat regne’
Russian: ‘Без кота мышам раздолье. (bez kata mysham razdolje’
The phrase is first seen in the English language in around 1470 AD. It was also used by Shakespeare himself in his play ‘Henry the Fifth’ in the year 1599 AD.
How do you Use the Phrase ‘‘While The Cat’s Away, The Mice Will Play’?
‘While the cat’s away the mice will play’ is such a common and widely known phrase, that many (if not most) people will only say the first part of the phrase ‘While the cat’s away’, leaving the listener to consider the second half implied, without having to say so outright.
Here you’ll find some examples of the phrase in a range of different contexts.
‘My parents are fascists, they won’t even let me swear. Oh well, ‘When the cat’s away’ as they say.’
‘The boss has left me in charge of the accounts, while she’s away. And, when the cat’s away…’
‘My fitness instructor is away, so I haven’t been as disciplined with my workouts. While the cat’s away, the mice will play, as they say. I need to work on that.’
‘I’m so disappointed. I guess I should have seen it coming. As they say, when the cat’s away the mice will play.’
‘The head chef isn’t in today, so the workers are slacking. While the cat’s away…’
‘The babysitter is distracted, and when the cat’s away, the mice will play.’
‘Go ahead, the cat’s away.’
‘While the cat’s away, the mice will play! Don’t worry he/she/they won’t find out!’
‘A nasty argument started once the teacher left. When the cat’s away, the mice will play I guess.’
‘He’s normally really on the ball, but I guess while the cat’s away…’
‘You can’t take your eye off them for a minute – when the cat’s away the mice will play.’
‘No housework got done while I was on my girls weekend. When the cat’s away.’
What are Some Alternative Ways of Saying ‘While The Cat’s Away, The Mice Will Play’?
Here are a few alternative phrases you can use instead:
- ‘When the boss is gone, it’s party time!’
- ‘People do what they want when the boss is away.’
- ‘When the chief is gone, workers go off the rails.’
- With the boss away, people will be up to no good.’
- ‘What he/she/they don’t know won’t hurt them.’
- ‘The boss is gone, I’ll do as I please.’
- ‘Let’s give him/her/them something to worry about.’
Final Thoughts
‘So, to sum up, the phrase ‘When the cat’s away, the mice will play’ is used as an easy to understand metaphor for how the underlings will behave differently when an authority figure has left them to their own devices. It’s another way of saying how when people aren’t being supervised, they are more likely to break the rules.
Some people occasionally take the phrase ‘When the cat’s away, the mice will play’ as an invitation to relax and do as they see fit, especially if it means bending the rules.
