Meanings
present singular third person looks like something the cat dragged in · participle present looking like something the cat dragged in · participle past looked like something the cat dragged in · past looked like something the cat dragged in · alternative look like something the cat brought in · alternative look like something the cat's dragged in
- informalsimileTo have a very dishevelled or untidy appearance.
Synonyms: look as if one has been dragged through a hedge backwards
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo have a very dishevelled or untidy appearance.
Origin
From the habit of domestic cats of bringing home the remains of killed animals.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
look like something the cat dragged in. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/look%20like%20something%20the%20cat%20dragged%20in
“look like something the cat dragged in.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/look%20like%20something%20the%20cat%20dragged%20in. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “look like something the cat dragged in,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/look%20like%20something%20the%20cat%20dragged%20in.
Source: look like something the cat dragged in on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.