If a person from Scotland asks, “Has yer cat died?” he or she is showing concern — but not about your pet. The phrase is a peculiarly-Scottish way of pointing out that your pants or shorts may not be fitting quite as well as you think they do. They may be, in fact, a wee bit too short for your stature.

The origin of the phrase is a little murky. Some suggest that it is a reference to wearing one’s pants at “half-staff” as one would fly a flag during a time of mourning.

Another possible origin of the phrase could be that without a cat around to catch the mice, a person might hike up the trouser legs to prevent mice from running up them.

Yet another explanation points to the custom of wearing a black arm band to show that the individual is in mourning. Some say that the poor obtained these arm bands by cutting a few inches off the bottom of old trousers.

The phrase’s origin is uncertain but its meaning is clear: when a Scot asks it, you should think about getting new pants before considering replacing your cat.

Perhaps this is why Scots started wearing kilts?

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