cat got someone's tongue

English

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

(idiomatic, humorous) Why is someone not saying anything?
Why won't you tell me that secret? Cat got your tongue?
- 2007, “15 Step”, in In Rainbows, performed by Radiohead:
  You used to be alright / What happened? / Did the cat get your tongue? / Did your string come undone?

why are you not saying anything?

Chinese:
Mandarin: 你成了啞巴了嗎？／你成了哑巴了吗？ (nǐ chéng le yǎba le ma?)
Dutch: ben je je tong verloren? (literally “have you lost your tongue?”)
Finnish: veikö kissa kielesi?
French: tu as perdu ta langue ? (literally “have you lost your tongue/language?”), tu as donné ta langue au chat ?
German: hast du die Sprache verloren? / haben Sie die Sprache verloren? (literally “did you lose your speech/language?”)
Hungarian: elvitte a cica a nyelved?
Italian: il gatto ti ha mangiato la lingua? (literally “did the cat eat your tongue?”)
Polish: zaniemówić (pl) (literally “to dry up”), zapomnieć języka w gębie (pl) pf
Portuguese: o gato comeu sua língua (literally “did the cat eat your tongue?”)
Romanian: ți-a mâncat pisica limba? c
Russian: язы́к проглоти́л? (ru) m (jazýk proglotíl?, literally “did you swallow your tongue?”), язы́к проглоти́ла? f (jazýk proglotíla?), язы́к проглоти́ли? pl (jazýk proglotíli?)
Serbo-Croatian: maca popapala jezik? (literally “did the kitty eat (your) tongue?”)
Slovak: stratil si reč? (literally “did you lose your speech?”)
Spanish: ¿te ha comido la lengua el gato? (literally “has the cat eaten your tongue?”)
Swedish: förlora/tappa talförmågan (sv)
Turkish: dilini mi yuttun? pl (informal), dilinizi mi yuttunuz? sg (literally “have you swallowed your tongue?”) (formal)

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