bell the cat
English
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bell the cat
Where it comes from
From a medieval fable in which mice agree that a bell should be put round a cat's neck so they will always be warned of its arrival, but cannot agree who should undertake the dangerous task.
verb bells the cat · belling the cat · belled the cat
- To undertake a dangerous action in the service of a group.
Translations
Every language
verb to undertake a dangerous action in the service of a group
| Español | ponerle el cascabel al gato |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 고양이 목에 방울 달기 goyang'i moge bang'ul dalgi |
| Français | attacher le grelot |
| Deutsch | der Katze die Schelle umhängen, der Katze die Schelle anhängen |
| Русский | рискова́ть собо́й riskovátʹ sobój, броса́ться на амбразу́ру brosátʹsja na ambrazúru, вызыва́ть ого́нь на себя́ vyzyvátʹ ogónʹ na sebjá, подста́вить себя́ под уда́р podstávitʹ sebjá pod udár, отва́живаться otváživatʹsja, подставля́ть го́лову podstavljátʹ gólovu |
| Tiếng Việt | đeo lục lạc cho mèo, treo chuông cổ mèo |
Talk about this word "bell the cat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bell%20the%20cat. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. bell the cat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bell%20the%20cat "bell the cat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bell%20the%20cat.Cite this
@misc{bell_the_cat_2026,
title = {bell the cat},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bell%20the%20cat},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
