be more Catholic than the Pope (himself)
1. To be more stringently adherent to the laws, tenets, and doctrines of the Catholic faith than is taught or required by the papacy or the Church as a whole. (Usually used hyperbolically as a negative or mocking criticism of someone as being overly pious.) I can't believe we're not allowed to eat meat on Fridays while we're staying with Grandma. She's more Catholic than the Pope himself! Ah, would you stop with your protestations of our mortal sins and telling us to repent every minute of the day! I swear, you're more Catholic than the Pope. A: "I had no idea Aunt Mary went to church every single morning." B: "Oh yeah, she's more Catholic than the Pope himself—but you probably already knew that from all the rules she has at her house."
2. By extension, to be more extreme in one's beliefs, behavior, attitudes, etc., than that of the prevailing authority or standard of normalcy. After a year, Jake had started using every dialectic cliché and slang word he had heard in his adopted country, and soon, he was more Catholic than the Pope, so to speak. These days, many people are more Catholic than the Pope himself in terms of political views, so please do not bring up politics, all right? I was only one minute late getting back to my car, but the meter maid was more Catholic than the Pope and wouldn't rip up my ticket.
Catholic gap
slang For a Catholic wedding, the period of time between the end of the wedding ceremony at the church and the start of the reception at another location. This typically happens with an early afternoon wedding and an evening reception. Ugh, what are we going to do during the Catholic gap? We should at least go and get drinks somewhere. Luckily, one of the friends I'm going with lives near the church, so we can hang out at her house during the Catholic gap. Thank goodness for the Catholic gap because I totally forgot their gift at home!
Catholic roulette
slang
1. A method of birth control in which heterosexual partners do not engage in sexual intercourse while the woman is ovulating; more commonly known as "the rhythm method." An allusion to contraceptives being banned within the Catholic ideology and the fact that the effectiveness of such a method is as much a gamble as playing roulette. In this day and age, and with four children already, I find it mind-boggling that you and Sarah would be playing Catholic roulette to keep from having another baby. My periods have always been unpredictable, so I've never trusted Catholic roulette as a potential method. A: "We just won't have sex when I'm ovulating next week." B: "What if your period app is wrong, though, and you're ovulating now? This is why you can't depend on Catholic roulette."
2. A method of birth control in which a man withdraws his penis from his partner's vagina before ejaculating; more commonly known as "the withdrawal method" (technically called "coitus interruptus"). We got so caught up in the moment that I didn't bother asking if he had a condom, so I just told him to pull out before he came. Well, suffice to say that we lost that game of Catholic roulette. You know, there's still a chance she'll get pregnant even if you pulled out. That's why they call it Catholic roulette, bro. Like he's really going to be able to pull out in time? Yeah, I don't recommend that game of Catholic roulette.
3. Heterosexual intercourse in which no birth-control methods are used at all. Why on earth would you not use a condom, dude? If you go playing Catholic roulette with every girl you hook up with, you're going to end up with a baby in your arms before you've even graduated college! I have no interest in having a baby just yet, but I also don't want to go on the Pill, or play Catholic roulette, so I'm abstaining from sex altogether! Yeah, I did a lot of dumb things in college, but playing Catholic roulette wasn't one of them! I had a serious girlfriend, and we always used protection.
Catholic twins
Siblings who are less than a year apart in age. A satirical phrase playing on the stereotype that Catholics have many children very close together in age. My younger sister and I ended up in the same year in school, so everyone always called us the Catholic twins. A: "Oh, I didn't realize their kids were so close in age." B: "Yep, Catholic twins born only 11 months apart." Some people thought my brother and I were actual twins because we were so close in age and looked so much alike, but, nope, Catholic twins.
Is the Pope (a) Catholic?
A humorous response to a question that the speaker feels would obviously be answered in the affirmative. A: "Are you going to the party tonight?" B: "Is the Pope a Catholic? Of course I'll be there!" A: "Do you think Dave took the money?" B: "Are you kidding? Is the Pope Catholic?" Would I like a free trip to Paris? Is the Pope Catholic?
more Catholic than the Pope (himself)
1. More stringently adherent to the laws, tenets, and doctrines of the Catholic faith than is taught or required by the papacy or the Church as a whole. (Usually used hyperbolically as a negative or mocking criticism of someone as being overly pious.) I can't believe we're not allowed to eat meat on Fridays while we're staying with Grandma. She's more Catholic than the Pope himself! Ah, would you stop with your protestations of our mortal sins and telling us to repent every minute of the day! I swear, you're more Catholic than the Pope.
2. By extension, more extreme in one's beliefs, behavior, attitudes, etc., than that of the prevailing authority or standard of normalcy. After a year, Jake had started using every dialectic cliché and slang word he had heard in his adopted country, and soon he was more Catholic than the Pope, so to speak.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.