dead cat on the line

a dead cat on the line

A phrase used to describe a situation in which something is wrong. She's been acting so strange lately that I'm worried there's a dead cat on the line. It's no secret there's a dead cat on the line, so why don't you just tell me what's going on? You still haven't been able to reach Great-Aunt Mary? OK, now I'm officially thinking there's a dead cat on the line.

See also: cat, dead, line, on

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

dead cat on the line

Rur. [for something to be] wrong. I'm afraid there's a dead cat on the line over at Martha's place. I haven't heard from them for days. Bill has a kind of sixth sense. He can tell a dead cat on the line before anybody knows there's something wrong.

See also: cat, dead, line, on

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.