Room To Swing A Cat - QI Series 8 Episode 9 House & Home Preview - BBC One
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
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Stephen asks his guests where the phrase 'room to swing a cat' comes from. Alan and Bill demonstrate the various ways in which you can swing a cat!
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'The whole nine yards' was from the days of WWII, where artillery gunners would use belt-fed machine guns. The belts themselves were 9 yards long. If they really wanted an enemy dead, they'd use the whole 9 yards of belt.
A decent effort from some scholars, but my sources tell me the phrase was around before WWII.
Actually it comes from the ammo belts used in the Fighter planes of the day. Their belts inside the wings were nine yards, I seriously doubt you could fit that much ammo and belt into an ammo cans used in that or any other period up to today.
Alan - ah yes, plenty of room to swing a cat in here!
Estate agent - ha! You could swing a tiger in here.
Alan [delighted] - You could, couldn't you! Wouldn't want to of course. Not unless it had been properly stunned. Even then you're talking about the best part of a tonne.
I'm already smiling in anticipation..
I'm hooked on QI, I get my daily fix by watching all the repeats again and again and...
I was thinking of the Swing Era in the 30s and 40s. In the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, "the Cat's Corner" was where the best Lindy Hoppers danced, near the Band. If the floor was full of dancers, it could be a place where "there's no room to swing a [hep]cat". Just a thought. 🤔❤️🙂
It is an old fire code for room sizes as they swung cats for fire alarms.
I love it when Alan lets go of the cat.
Great panel,looking forward to this one. Get well soon Mr. Danny Baker!
I use the phrase "room to swing a cat" all the time.
The phrase I've always heard (and used) is "You can't swing a dead cat without hitting..."
Christ Eddie Izzard hasn't been on QI since the pilot. This is gonna be good!
@MeewbeThree You're excused.
But if the most popular explanation doesn't suit your taste then other theories range from something about cement mixers, to wedding veils, to three-piece suits, to road blocks, to the name of the American military in the Vietnam war ect... ect... What I learned was it referred to the length of the anti-aircraft belts used in aircraft turrets, which does have some evidence supporting it, but no one knows for sure. It's mostly speculation.
@TornLoveNotes i know what you mean! have considered stephen fry to be the supreme example of a human being for some time now and have been madly in love with eddie since i first saw some of his standup (this condition became much more powerful after i watched his marathon series last week)
It is claimed to have originated in Australia. A cat is a tea billy, and is swung to settle the tea leaves.
I was told that it referred to swinging around a catamaran on the sea. Then you'd really need a lot of space!
I think i have heard that saying wrong all my life, i thought it was "not enough room to swing a cap" Which sounded a little more believable.
If the cat is big enough, the tail ceases to support the weight, and you have a really pissed off Manx coming to kill you.
I was told nine yards was the total length of fabric required to make a suit.
To answer any question about the whole nine yards, it is not a sporting term. There are a few theories following what it means including a shorter American football field, or the length of a Scottish kilt, but those aren't right either. The whole nine yards refers to the length of bullets used by pilots in the first or second world war. They would report back how much of their rounds they had used, and if it went well they used, 'The whole nine yards'. Or so I learned.
and that's how persian cats were invented...
do you do it in a big loopy swing or do you get some speed up......LMAO
what is that picture in the backround at the beginning?
11 years late but what the hey...
I think the previous question was about average house/apartment sizes in different countries and the picture shows Britain at the front (with the smallest) then Ireland, Spain, France, Denmark, Australia, USA. No idea why they picked those countries in particular.
Eddie Izzard!
@Andreask93 So not really a sporting term then?
So the phrase "to swing a cat" comes from the concept of literally swinging a cat? Is it just me or is that not one of the more interesting facts from QI?
@missjade29 and this is the 100th episode as well isn't it? 1st and 100th... thats somethin :P
ah..funny
@YellingYaz all ur life are u young or just new to english lol well ether way watch this an u'll learn stuff
first - and probably the only - comment.
I'm smiling already in anticipation..
I'm hooked on QI, I get my daily fix by watching all the repeats again and again and...