英语词汇like herding cats的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

like herding cats. A clever recent expression that isn’t re- corded in any dictionary. It means a “difficult, almost impossi- ble job,” as in “Making people pay such a tax will be like herding cats.” The cat is an animal that is highly independent and un- likely to be forced into anything. The verb to herd is frequently used in the expression ride herd on (cattle), which dates back to the turn of the 19th century in the West and means to closely supervise something. To herd can also mean “to oversee” con- victs or laborers, and even in some regions to take care of chil- dren: “Will you herd the baby for me?” or “She was herding the kids.”

词汇	like herding cats
词源	like herding cats. A clever recent expression that isn’t re- corded in any dictionary. It means a “difficult, almost impossi- ble job,” as in “Making people pay such a tax will be like herding cats.” The cat is an animal that is highly independent and un- likely to be forced into anything. The verb to herd is frequently used in the expression ride herd on (cattle), which dates back to the turn of the 19th century in the West and means to closely supervise something. To herd can also mean “to oversee” con- victs or laborers, and even in some regions to take care of chil- dren: “Will you herd the baby for me?” or “She was herding the kids.”
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