8 Idioms In Romanian That Are All About Cats

Romanians often use idioms in their daily lives to spice up conversations. As with every culture, they hint to what Romanians value and despise strongly enough that they create set phrases and pass them on from generation to generation. Oh, and a lot of them involve cats, namely mâță or pisică.

‘A prinde cu mâța-n sac’ (A prin-de ku ma-tsa-n sak)

Translation: To catch [someone] with the cat in the bag

Meaning: Rather intuitive, this expression is used to describe when someone is caught red handed. What is not intuitive is the fact that, usually, cats will get in the bag simply because they want to.

Translation: To look [at something] like the cat in the calendar

Meaning: By all appearances, it is quite bad to look confused in Romania. When someone is clueless about a situation, his or her expression, Romanians believe, becomes very similar to that of a cat looking in the calendar.

‘Ce naște din pisica, șoareci mănâncă’ (Ce na-shte din pi-si-ca, shoa-reci ma-nan-ca)

Translation: If born by a cat, it will eat mice

Meaning: This idiom points to the fact that, inevitably, children will resemble their parents.

‘A rupe pisica-n două’ (A ru-pe pi-si-ca-n do-ua)

Translation: To break the cat in half

Meaning: When Romanians feel brave and want to get to the bottom of things, they tackle their problems head on and apparently, nothing says it better!

‘A trage mâța de coadă’ (A tra-ge ma-tsa de coa-da)

Translation: To pull the cat by its tail

Meaning: When someone is pulling the cat by the tail, it means he or she is in a slump and not doing well financially.

‘Mâța blândă zgârie rău’ (Ma-tsa blan-da zga-rie rau)

Translation: The gentle cat scratches badly

Meaning: The idiom is applicable to those seemingly inoffensive people who will not hesitate to take a stand if someone crosses the line.

‘Nu mai bea mâța oțet’ (Nu mai bea ma-tsa o-tset)

Translation: The cat won’t drink vinegar anymore

Meaning: This expression hints that someone who was tricked once will be very careful next time around.

‘A-i oua și mâța’ (A-i o-ua shi ma-sta)

Translation: Even the cat is laying eggs

Meaning: When someone is extremely lucky, he or she will find that not only the chicken, but also the cat is laying eggs.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.