What Is the Story Behind “Not I Said the Cat” | Where did it come from?
People generally think that the phrase “not I said the cat” was from Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. However, that is not the case. It is an exciting story that is bound to make you laugh. The phrase “not I said the cat” had been used in various forms and with various incarnations since the early 1900s. Yet, the actual origin remains unclear. This phrase was first coined by writer Frank R. Stockton (1834–1902) in his short story.
The phrase, not I said the cat is an ancient riddle. It was popularized by Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice in Wonderland, where Alice encounters the puzzle in her adventures with the Mad Hatter and March Hare. While this phrase has become part of internet culture due to its inclusion in memes, it remains an obscure and mysterious riddle to those unfamiliar with Carroll’s book. Below are some interesting facts about the origin of this perplexing quote that you might not have identified before.
Where did it come from?
The phrase started with a misunderstanding between two great poets: William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. It all started one day when Marlowe met Shakespeare at some coffee shop (I’m not sure if that’s what they were called back then, but I’m guessing it was something like that). They sat around and talked about their writing techniques.
They were getting along famously until someone came in wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Abraham Lincoln on it. The two discussed how Lincoln could be much better than he was as president. Still, everyone loved him anyway because he did everything people thought would get them to vote for him.
Why was it created?
It all started as a game between friends who challenged each other to develop something that could be read as either entirely innocent or utterly scandalous. In 1952, for example, an American cartoonist named Victor Reppert wrote and drew a five-frame comic strip titled Why was it created? The first frame showed a girl saying to her friend: You’re not wearing that to meet my folks, are you? The second shows her friend replying: Not I! Said the cat. And so on.
How do you use it in your life?
I use it to avoid having any responsibility for something in my life. If someone says I should do something, I look at them and say Not, and I tell the cat. It can get me out of things quite frequently. Some people will ask why it was so important that you ask me then? I usually respond with, well, if you want to know why then not; I said the cat! They usually nod their head and then walk away slowly in resignation.
This is probably my favorite use of saying those three simple words because it lets me get out of doing things that aren’t fun or don’t interest me while letting others think they are to blame.
When do you use it?
The phrase Not I said the cat is used in various contexts. It refers to a person refuting the previous statement, usually the person talking before them. The phrase is used in a variety of contexts. It refers to a person denying the last word, usually the person talking before them. It is a form of wordplay, as it is derived from the first line of a well-known poem: Not I by Emily Dickinson.
It’s most commonly used in response to when someone asks if something was your idea or someone else’s. Assume you have a fantastic employee who has just come up with a good opportunity for a new project. You come up to him with a big smile and ask, was that your idea? Or did it come from somewhere else? The correct answer in such an instance would be. It wasn’t; I said…the cat. This idiom comes from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.
Where is it NOT appropriate to use?
You may use NOT in appropriate situations, but there are better ways to say what you mean. Here are a few examples of inappropriate usage:
I would like NOTHING more than a double espresso right now.
Everyone seems to WANT to win…NOT! I don’t understand why they expect it to be simple.
I DON’T have time for this.
The proper way to describe such things is that I want a double espresso right now; everyone appears to want to win.
Famous Use of the Quote
The first use of I is not saying that a man ought to marry every woman he meets. Still, every man and woman ought to marry, for even if love does not last forever, marriage does. It was in 1898. The quote was again used in 1993 by John C. Maxwell (see below). There are many theories on who said it first. Since it has been printed so often, there is no definite answer to determine exactly where it came from. The quote may have come from John C.
Conclusion
It is well-known that specific phrases have become popular in society thanks to the internet, often going viral and being used as a funny way to respond to a comment. One of these phrases is “not I said the cat,” which is a funny way to respond to a statement by saying the complete opposite. This phrase is often used to mock people who say something incorrect or make a simple mistake on the internet.
However, the phrase is a quote from The Princess Bride film. In this film, Vizzini makes an entirely incorrect statement and misleads the antagonist, thus giving Westley, the main character, the chance to attack. In this way, the phrase “not I said
What Is the Story Behind “Not I Said the Cat” | Where did it come from?
People generally think that the phrase “not I said the cat” was from Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. However, that is not the case. It is an exciting story that is bound to make you laugh. The phrase “not I said the cat” had been used in various forms and with various incarnations since the early 1900s. Yet, the actual origin remains unclear. This phrase was first coined by writer Frank R. Stockton (1834–1902) in his short story.
The phrase, not I said the cat is an ancient riddle. It was popularized by Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice in Wonderland, where Alice encounters the puzzle in her adventures with the Mad Hatter and March Hare. While this phrase has become part of internet culture due to its inclusion in memes, it remains an obscure and mysterious riddle to those unfamiliar with Carroll’s book. Below are some interesting facts about the origin of this perplexing quote that you might not have identified before.
Where did it come from?
The phrase started with a misunderstanding between two great poets: William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. It all started one day when Marlowe met Shakespeare at some coffee shop (I’m not sure if that’s what they were called back then, but I’m guessing it was something like that). They sat around and talked about their writing techniques.
They were getting along famously until someone came in wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Abraham Lincoln on it. The two discussed how Lincoln could be much better than he was as president. Still, everyone loved him anyway because he did everything people thought would get them to vote for him.
Why was it created?
It all started as a game between friends who challenged each other to develop something that could be read as either entirely innocent or utterly scandalous. In 1952, for example, an American cartoonist named Victor Reppert wrote and drew a five-frame comic strip titled Why was it created? The first frame showed a girl saying to her friend: You’re not wearing that to meet my folks, are you? The second shows her friend replying: Not I! Said the cat. And so on.
How do you use it in your life?
I use it to avoid having any responsibility for something in my life. If someone says I should do something, I look at them and say Not, and I tell the cat. It can get me out of things quite frequently. Some people will ask why it was so important that you ask me then? I usually respond with, well, if you want to know why then not; I said the cat! They usually nod their head and then walk away slowly in resignation.
This is probably my favorite use of saying those three simple words because it lets me get out of doing things that aren’t fun or don’t interest me while letting others think they are to blame.
When do you use it?
The phrase Not I said the cat is used in various contexts. It refers to a person refuting the previous statement, usually the person talking before them. The phrase is used in a variety of contexts. It refers to a person denying the last word, usually the person talking before them. It is a form of wordplay, as it is derived from the first line of a well-known poem: Not I by Emily Dickinson.
It’s most commonly used in response to when someone asks if something was your idea or someone else’s. Assume you have a fantastic employee who has just come up with a good opportunity for a new project. You come up to him with a big smile and ask, was that your idea? Or did it come from somewhere else? The correct answer in such an instance would be. It wasn’t; I said…the cat. This idiom comes from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.
Where is it NOT appropriate to use?
You may use NOT in appropriate situations, but there are better ways to say what you mean. Here are a few examples of inappropriate usage:
I would like NOTHING more than a double espresso right now.
Everyone seems to WANT to win…NOT! I don’t understand why they expect it to be simple.
I DON’T have time for this.
The proper way to describe such things is that I want a double espresso right now; everyone appears to want to win.
Famous Use of the Quote
The first use of I is not saying that a man ought to marry every woman he meets. Still, every man and woman ought to marry, for even if love does not last forever, marriage does. It was in 1898. The quote was again used in 1993 by John C. Maxwell (see below). There are many theories on who said it first. Since it has been printed so often, there is no definite answer to determine exactly where it came from. The quote may have come from John C.
Conclusion
It is well-known that specific phrases have become popular in society thanks to the internet, often going viral and being used as a funny way to respond to a comment. One of these phrases is “not I said the cat,” which is a funny way to respond to a statement by saying the complete opposite. This phrase is often used to mock people who say something incorrect or make a simple mistake on the internet.
However, the phrase is a quote from The Princess Bride film. In this film, Vizzini makes an entirely incorrect statement and misleads the antagonist, thus giving Westley, the main character, the chance to attack. In this way, the phrase “not I said
