Cat got your tongue?

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!I was thinking about cats today. And then I decided it would be fun to do a little podcast about cats. Or about the word "cat" anyway. Let's start with the sound:  CAT  /æ/  cat  cat cat  I have a cat. I have a cat. [æ = the phonetic symbol for this sound]Cat rhymes with flat. In England some people live in "flats" which in the USA we call apartments. He lives in a flat. I live in an apartment.Flat. I have a cat in my flat. I put a hat on my cat. I like to pat my cat. FlatHatPatMat. Matt can be a name, short for Matthew. Or a floor mat to wipe your feet. The cat sat on the mat. The cat sat on the mat.Sat. I sat down. You sat down. We all sat down. Rat. I don't like rats. A good cat will chase a rat. A good cat will chase a rat.Listen to these contrasts:Rat.  Rot.  Writ.  Rut……… Rat.  Rot.  Writ.  Rut.Hat.  Hot.  Hit.  Hut………..Hat.  Hot.  Hit.  Hut.Pat.  Pot.  Pit.  Putt………..Pat.  Pot.  Pit.  Putt.Now some sentences with "cat".When I pet my cat, she purrs. (3x)This sentence is silly:The cat sat on my hat. Now my hat is flat cause the cat is fat. (3x)My cats like to catch rats. (3x)I'm delighted when my cat catches a rat. I'm very happy. (3x)Finally, a few expressions with the word cat.1)  Cat's got your tongue? or Cat got your tongue? If you ask a question and the other person can't or doesn't want to answer, you can say: Cat got your tongue? Here's an example:I know you took some money from my wallet. What do you have to say for yourself?[Silence, no answer}What's the matter: Cat's got your tongue?2) The cat's out of the bag. This means that a secret is no longer a secret.Example:  I didn't want anyone to know I was going to get married. But then my brother told all his friends. The cat's out of the bag now.3) There's more than one way to skin a cat. This means that there is more than one way to do something. Example:  John likes to add numbers in his head. Robert prefers to use a calculator. Well, as long as they both get the right answers, who cares? There's more than one way to skin a cat.4) To be a scaredy cat means to be afraid of everything.Mary is such a scaredy cat. If I sneak up behind her and say "BOO" she jumps out of her skin and starts crying.5) To take a cat nap = to sleep for a little whileI've learned to take cat naps between phone calls at work.6) Copycats = to copy what someone else does, to imitateI wore a pretty blue dress to school on Monday and by Wednesday, four other girls were wearing the same color dresses. What a bunch of copycats.7) To look like something the cat dragged in = a total messHe spent the night barhopping. When he got home he looked like something the cat dragged in. I told him to throw his clothes in the trash and take a shower AND a bath. Then I made him sleep on the couch. I wouldn't have touched him with a ten-foot pole.The last sentence is another expression. When you say "I wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole," it means something is really disgusting and you wouldn't touch it even with a very long stick. [Something to be avoided.]Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com Support the showEmail me:  [email protected] can now support my podcasts and classes:Keep the podcasts coming! Thank you!