phrase General Slang

The Cat's Pajamas

/ðə ˈkæts pəˈdʒɑːməz/ · phrase · slang

Jazz-age slang for the coolest, classiest, most wonderful thing going.

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Definitions

1

A person who is fashionable, charming, or thoroughly impressive.

“With his slicked hair and sharp suit, he fancied himself the cat's pajamas.”
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2

Something splendid, stylish, or the very best of its kind.

“That roadster is the cat's pajamas.”
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3

Used ironically to deflate someone who is full of themselves.

“Look at him strut, like he's the cat's pajamas.”
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The Cat's Pajamas In A Sentence

Doll, that hat is the cat's pajamas.
The whole party agreed the new gramophone records were the cat's pajamas.
He thinks his card tricks are the cat's pajamas, but nobody's fooled.

Origin & Usage

Part of the same 1920s American slang craze that produced 'the bee's knees.' 'Pajamas' were themselves a fashionable novelty in the era, which gave the phrase extra snap among flappers and college sheiks.

Variants cat's pyjamasthe cats pajamas
Tags #1920s#flapper#jazz-age#prohibition#vintage#compliment

People Also Ask

What does 'the cat's pajamas' mean?

It means something excellent or the height of cool. It was a signature compliment in 1920s flapper slang.

Where did 'the cat's pajamas' come from?

From the 1920s fad for absurd animal phrases, helped along by pajamas being a trendy new garment at the time.

Did people really say 'the cat's pajamas'?

Absolutely. It was everywhere in jazz-age America, alongside cousins like 'the cat's meow' and 'the bee's knees.'

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