“cat for to make kitten britches”

[Garson O'Toole]

I should have wrote "The Mavens' Word of the Day" (not Maven's). The
webpage suggests that the expression dates to the "nineteenth
century":

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19960823

[Begin excerpt]
Although hard evidence is lacking, the expression cat's fur to make
kitten britches seems to date back to the nineteenth century. It isn't
specifically associated with any region of the country.
[End excerpt]

In a quick search I found a citation on the edge of the century. Typos
are likely in this dialect-heavy excerpt:

Cite: 1900 September 23, Rockford Morning Star [Morning Star],
"Crankisms": Some Thoughts on Equal Suffrage by J.K.B., Page 2,
Rockford, Illinois. (GenealogyBank)

[Begin excerpt]
"Lookee here, Jing," said Ole Pete, helping himself to a sheepnose
apple from an open barrel, and gumming it while he talked: "I'm a
thinkin' on movin' to ,Jarsey; wanter buy that kaliker hoss o' mine?"

"Wat fur?"

"W'y cat fur, ter make kitten britches. Wa't dy'e spose?" Shying his
apple core at the grocery cat who was licking the kerosene can.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 8:13 PM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      =?windows-1252?Q?Re=3A_=93cat_for_to_make_kitten_britches=94?=
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Michael Sheehan said:
>> Any idea where “cat for to make kitten britches” came from and how to
>> parse it?
>
> The Maven's Word of the Day examined a version of this phrase in 1996:
>
> cat's fur to make kitten britches
> http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19960823
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org