alley cat
Definition
- Noun:
- A homeless cat: An alley cat is a domestic cat that lives outdoors and does not have a permanent home or owner, often found in urban areas like alleys.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- We leave food out for the friendly alley cat that visits our backyard.
- The city has a program to spay and neuter alley cats to control the population.
Advanced Usage
- Used metaphorically to describe a person with a tough, independent, or wandering nature:
- After years of traveling alone, he lived like an alley cat, resourceful and unattached.
Variants and Related Words
- Stray cat (n): A synonym for a homeless or ownerless cat.
- Feral cat (n): A domestic cat that has reverted to a wild state, often born in the wild and not socialized to humans. (Note: While all feral cats are stray, not all alley cats are completely feral; some may be semi-socialized.)
Synonyms
- Stray cat
- Street cat
Related Idioms
- To have nine lives like an alley cat: To be very resilient and survive many dangerous situations.
- He survived another accident; he must have nine lives like an alley cat.
Noun
-
a homeless cat
