It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: First alluded to in poet Jonathan Swift’s 1710 satirical poem, “A Description of a City Shower” in which he denounced the horrid conditions in London society and described how the bodies of cats and dogs would stream down the streets during heavy rains.

The Dog Days of Summer: Ancient Romans noticed the Dog Star, Sirius, appeared in the sky when temperatures reached their peak in late July and early August. They believed that the Dog Star contributed to the heat of the day.

The Cat’s Pajamas: First used around 1920 when pajamas were still a shocking new addition to one’s wardrobe, this phrase is used to describe something that is “great.” Much  like the word “awesome” is used today. Similar expressions originating in the 1920′s include – the bee’s knees, the clam’s garders, the duck’s quack and the tiger’s spots.

Hair of the Dog that Bit You: Ancient folk wisdom taught that the best remedy for a dog bite was to apply hair from the same dog to the wound.

Has the Cat Got Your Tongue: This saying came from the English sailing ship days, and refers to the cat-o-nine tails. If the captain or other officer told someone something in secrecy, he would ‘get the cat’ if he told others. Naturally, if the others wanted to know what had been said, they would ask, “Tell us, or has the cat got your tongue?”