Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—C

Caterwauling

The wawl or wrawl of cats, the er being either a plural, similar to “childer” (children), or a corrupted genitive.

“What a caterwauling do you keep here!” -

Shakespeare: Twelfth Night, ii. 3.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Catgut
Caterpillars
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