etymology - Origin of the phrase, "There's more than one way to skin a cat."


The meaning is clear, but where did this phrase originate? Was it always such a gruesome reference?



Answer



I couldn't find any use of the phrase earlier than the 1840 Money Diggers reference, but I did find some background to which the saying might refer. Apparently the debate on cat-skinning boiled down to whether or not it was done while the cat was still alive. Here's a clip from the disturbing House of Commons' Minutes of Evidence Taken Before Committee on Bill for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1832:


http://books.google.com/books?id=3TkSAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA10&dq=%22skin+a+cat%22&hl=en&ei=L8ELTrfbJ-m30AHs1NF8&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22skin%20a%20cat%22&f=false


And here's confirmation from The Leisure Hour, 1879, that cats were used for womens' furs, but with a denial they were ever skinned alive:


http://books.google.com/books?id=vjEFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA96&dq=%22skin+a+cat%22&hl=en&ei=L8ELTrfbJ-m30AHs1NF8&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22skin%20a%20cat%22&f=false


So, to answer your second question, yes, it was always quite gruesome.


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