cat-lap
Definition
Noun: "cat-lap" refers to a weak, thin, or insipid beverage, especially tea or coffee. It is often used disparagingly to describe a drink that lacks strength, flavour, or substance.
Usage Examples
- (A weak, unappealing cup of tea.)
- (A thin, unsatisfactory coffee.)
- (A weak, tasteless drink.)
Advanced Usage
- "to dismiss something as cat-lap": to reject or criticise a beverage as being too weak or poor in quality.
- She dismissed the tea as mere cat-lap and poured it away. (She considered it worthless due to its thinness.)
Variants and Related Words
- Cat-lapper (n, rare): a person who drinks weak tea or coffee, or who is overly fond of such beverages.
- He was known as a cat-lapper, always sipping watery tea. (A person who drinks weak beverages.)
Synonyms
- Weak tea: a beverage with little flavour or strength.
- Slops: watery or thin liquid food or drink.
- Wash: a weak, unsubstantial drink (informal).
Related Idioms
- "not worth the water it's brewed in": said of a very weak or poor-quality drink.
- This tea is not worth the water it's brewed in — it's pure cat-lap. (The drink is of extremely low quality.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Drink up (cat-lap): to consume a weak beverage quickly, often out of politeness.
- He drank up the cat-lap to avoid offending his host. (He finished the weak tea promptly.)
Etymology (for context)
- The word "cat-lap" likely originates from the notion that cats drink small, unenthusiastic laps of thin liquid, contrasting with a hearty human consumption of strong tea or coffee. It is a compound of "cat" (the animal) and "lap" (to drink with the tongue).