scaredy-cat

Questions

What does scaredy-cat mean?

A coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared.

Where does scaredy-cat come from?

Etymology tree English scared English -y Proto-Germanic *kattuz Proto-West Germanic *kattu Old English catt Middle English cat English cat English scaredy-cat From scared + -y + cat.

How to pronounce scaredy-cat

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “scaredy-cat”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “scaredy-cat”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “scaredy-cat” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.