cat/catfish

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:01 PM -0500 10/23/03, Gerald Cohen wrote:
>At 10:47 AM -0400 10/23/03, Baker, John wrote:
>>Gerald,
>>         Although your excerpts make a good case that "cat" by itself
>>can refer to catfish, it's not clear from them that "more than one
>>way to skin a cat" refers to catfish.  Was there something more in
>>your article?
>
>
>There are also quotes for "cat" (= catfish) in DARE. As for "...skin a cat,"
>my article on this expression quotes two interesting letters to Dear Abby:

Yes, Jerry, but I'm sure you're not advocating that we take these as
constituting evidence for your claim, any more than the thousands of
similar letters and e-mails circulated on any one of a number of
etymythological legends, from spirit and image to the Infanta de
Castile.  I'm not saying that's what we have here, I'm just saying
(as I assume John is above) that it would be nice to have some direct
evidence from the first cites of "skin a cat" on just what sort of
cat was involved.

larry

>
>1) "Dear Abby: I think you should know that the 'cat' in the phrase
>'There's more than one way to skin a cat' refers not to the furry
>feline variety, but to the Mississippi mud variety: catfish.
>     "Some types of catfish have a smooth, tough, inedible skin
>instead of scales, and, therefore, must be skinned--not scaled like
>most other fish.  So if you were to ask any number of catfish
>aficionados how to prepare this Southern delicacy before cooking, you
>will probably hear a variety of methods, hence the expression
>'There's more than one way to skin a cat.'
>   [signed]: Another Cat Lover"
>
>2) "Dear Abby: Having grown up in Mississippi, the catfish capital of
>America, I can tell you that the expression 'There's more than one
>way to skin a cat' has nothing whatsoever to do with skinning a cat.
>It means skinning a catfish.
>        :Catfish have a tough outer skin instead of scales, and
>fishermen have long argued about the most efficient method of
>skinning a catfish.  And that, Dear Abby, is how that expression came
>about.
>        [signed] Jack L. Dveirin, New Orleans"
>
>
>Gerald Cohen