look like the cat dragged in

look like something the cat dragged in

To look exhausted, worn out, untidy, or dirty. After an afternoon playing out in the back yard, the kids came back looking like something the cat dragged in. He wants to take me out to a fancy restaurant, but I just got home from work and look like something the cat dragged in.

See also: cat, drag, like, look, something

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

look like something the cat dragged in

Fig. to look very shabby, worn, exhausted, or abused. (Sometimes with drug.) That new sofa of theirs looks like something the cat dragged in. Poor Dave looks like something the cat drug in. He must have been out late last night.

See also: cat, drag, like, look

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