Indigo ♿ she/herJul 2, 2023

#etymology question.
I used to get scolded as a child for referring to my mother as "she". My aunt would say "She is the cat's mother." Does anyone know where this phrase came from or what it means? My #neurodiverse mind has long wondered.

And yes I've googled but to little success.

Show threadKrysalix
@Skyliting From what I can find the earliest written examples of this phrase come from the 1800's and was used because cat's were usually unnamed at the time. So referring to a person who is present or who you haven't already named in the conversation is rude or confusing.
Jul 2, 2023 at 9:42pmWeb
Show threadIndigo ♿ she/herJul 2, 2023
@Krysalix hmm. Thank you. I was given the impression I was being rude. But I was confused, because my mother was a she. So why would it be rude to use that pronoun? I apparently was supposed to only refer to her as "my mother".
Show threadCK DexterHavenJul 5, 2023
@Krysalix @Skyliting well that’s interesting. May I ask what search term you used? Cat person and a language geek. I’d like to read up and maybe find a rabbit hole