Many expressions descend from awful times, like when cats were abundant and cat pelts were likely used in the furrier trade (“furrier trade” also takes on a new meaning these days).
There are so many animal abuse idioms. Like “Beating a dead horse” or “room to swing a cat”. Anywho, the 1800s were awful for domestic animals… just read Anna Sewell.
(It makes the recent horse death in NYC extra awful that it was a chestnut mare.)
@chienfou I never guaranteed that anybody would be able to get away with doing this, I just stated that it would work. And I don’t think anyone who is familiar with the material involved would contradict that assertion. Certainly, a flagrant illustration of that occurred here in the Houston area some 20 odd years ago.
@chienfou On that point, I should prefer not to. But there are likely structures whose deflagration may become necessary. The fact that I know how to do a thing does not prove intent. As for the canonical topic, I’ve refused to contemplate it. I like cats.
There’s always a secret door
There’s more than one way to rob a house (one involves robbing it while aflame, another involves insurance fraud)
There’s four lights
@pakopako Surely the more successful approach would be to enact the removals immediately before the combustion; a fire is a hard thing to bend to bend to any purpose but its own. (And a structure fire would make rifling the contents rather more than slightly frantic and hazardous. But unless you’ve had the opportunity to be inside a house fire, that might not be obvious.)
@Kyeh Is it the subject of skinning in general or just cats in particular that’s an issue? Taxidermitologically speaking subject wise, it seems no different than skinning a bear, seal, deer, coyote, fox, mink, rabbit, etc., not to mention humans, which would all appear to actually have historically occurred and discussed with much greater regularity than cats, I would guess.
@kuoh I don’t really want to hear about skinning things. I don’t even like the name “Bobby Flay.” I know these are things that happen, I just don’t like having to see that phrase over and over again. And I DO love cats, and agree with Irk. It’s a horrible phrase.
There’s more than one way to provoke IRK’s irritability.
KuoH
Many expressions descend from awful times, like when cats were abundant and cat pelts were likely used in the furrier trade (“furrier trade” also takes on a new meaning these days).
There are so many animal abuse idioms. Like “Beating a dead horse” or “room to swing a cat”. Anywho, the 1800s were awful for domestic animals… just read Anna Sewell.
(It makes the recent horse death in NYC extra awful that it was a chestnut mare.)
Once again, I think it bothers Irk at least as much as it should.
As for burning a house down, five gallons of gas and a road flare always works.
@werehatrack is that right? And you know this from personal experience?
@tinamarie1974 @werehatrack A childhood photo perhaps?
KuoH
@werehatrack
A good arson investigator will track you down. I can tell you that most accelerants have a distinct profile at a fire scene…
@chienfou I never guaranteed that anybody would be able to get away with doing this, I just stated that it would work. And I don’t think anyone who is familiar with the material involved would contradict that assertion. Certainly, a flagrant illustration of that occurred here in the Houston area some 20 odd years ago.
@werehatrack
And I never said you claimed you would get away with it.
Likewise I’m sure you could think of a few ways to skin a cat.
@chienfou On that point, I should prefer not to. But there are likely structures whose deflagration may become necessary. The fact that I know how to do a thing does not prove intent. As for the canonical topic, I’ve refused to contemplate it. I like cats.
@werehatrack
Not really convinced Seba was being a proponent when he coined the phrase…
@chienfou Given the mores of the time, the only debate seemed to be whether the cat was always killed first. The consensus was that it had to be.
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/32123/origin-of-the-phrase-theres-more-than-one-way-to-skin-a-cat
There’s always a secret door
There’s more than one way to rob a house (one involves robbing it while aflame, another involves insurance fraud)
There’s four lights
@pakopako Surely the more successful approach would be to enact the removals immediately before the combustion; a fire is a hard thing to bend to bend to any purpose but its own. (And a structure fire would make rifling the contents rather more than slightly frantic and hazardous. But unless you’ve had the opportunity to be inside a house fire, that might not be obvious.)
I wish people would quit bumping this topic up (as I realize I’m doing now
) because I hate seeing that disgusting phrase all the time!
@Kyeh Is it the subject of skinning in general or just cats in particular that’s an issue? Taxidermitologically speaking subject wise, it seems no different than skinning a bear, seal, deer, coyote, fox, mink, rabbit, etc., not to mention humans, which would all appear to actually have historically occurred and discussed with much greater regularity than cats, I would guess.
KuoH
@kuoh I don’t really want to hear about skinning things. I don’t even like the name “Bobby Flay.” I know these are things that happen, I just don’t like having to see that phrase over and over again. And I DO love cats, and agree with Irk. It’s a horrible phrase.