the cat's pyjamas
the cat's pyjamas noun: a highly sought-after and fancy example of something, usually referring to inanimate objects.
Noun
the cat's pyjamas pl (plural only)
- A highly sought-after and fancy example of something, usually referring to inanimate objects.
- That new car was really the cat's pyjamas.
Synonyms of the cat's pyjamas
Forms of the cat's pyjamas
| alternative US | the cat's pajamas |
|---|---|
| alternative US (colloquial, rare) | the cat's pajamies |
Origin of the cat's pyjamas
Popular in the US as early as 1922 around which the bee's knees, cat's whiskers, and numerous other similar phrases gained prominence. Sometimes attributed to cartoonist Tad Dorgan. It is widely believed that the origin of this idiom predates considerably, tracing back to the early 1800s in England. During this period, a tailor named E.B. Katz crafted silk pajamas for members of royalty and the upper class.
Questions about the cat's pyjamas
- What does the cat's pyjamas mean?
- The cat's pyjamas means a highly sought-after and fancy example of something, usually referring to inanimate objects.
- What part of speech is the cat's pyjamas?
- The cat's pyjamas is a noun.
Words near the cat's pyjamas in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: the cat's pyjamas (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-cat's pyjamas.ogg.
Cite this entry: “the cat's pyjamas.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/the_cat%27s_pyjamas. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.