To have other cats to whip.
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English Meaning: To have other (more important) things to do.
English Equivalents: To have other fish to fry. To have bigger fish to fry. To have other things on one’s plate.
French Meaning: Avoir d’autres choses (plus importantes) à faire.
French Equivalents: Avoir d’autres choses à faire. Ne pas avoir que ça à faire. Avoir d’autres affaires importantes à régler.
To have other cats to whip. If you enjoy the company of felines, you might be wondering where this idea came from. Who would whip a cat?!
Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter is the French equivalent to the slightly-less-violent English phrase “to have bigger fish to fry.” Not to worry though—no animals were harmed during the creation of this post!
There are various origin theories for this idiom, none of which have been proven. But a historical link between avoir d’autres chats à fouetter and the centuries-old saying il n’y a pas de quoi fouetter un chat (there’s no need to whip a cat, there’s no need to get worked up or upset) is often cited. Both expressions, while meaning different things, hinge on our perception of how important something is.
French-speakers might use avoir d’autres chats à fouetter when confronted with a choice: a less important activity or pressing matters. This is the one-phrase answer that says, “I have things to do that are more important to me (than what you are saying).”
I want to emphasize the “more important to me than what you are saying” part because, user beware, this expression can sound dismissive. I have heard it employed casually, when someone wanted to do something but was simply too busy. Most of the time, however, it carries a hint of “I don’t care about that” or “nah, I don’t want to do that.”
A classmate and good friend was once corrected by our professor because he used the phrase in response to a friendly suggestion about a class outing. As I was familiar with the expression and knew him well, I knew he had meant a polite “no, thanks.” Nevertheless, I was taken aback because j’ai d’autres chats à fouetter can have that effect—and our professor promptly alerted him to this nuance.
Finally, it’s useful to note that avoir d’autres chats à fouetter can be extended by adding que de and an action described in the infinitive. This emphasizes what you’re dismissing.
- J’ai d’autres chats à fouetter que de me préoccuper des rumeurs. (I have better things to do than concern myself with rumours.)
So, do you have other cats to whip, or are you ready to try this expression?
French Context:
– Hé ! Tu as répondu au message de Thomas ?
– Non, j’ai d’autres chats à fouetter. Ça peut attendre demain !
Translation:
– Hey! Have you answered Thomas’ message?
– No, I have other fish to fry. It can wait until tomorrow!
News Article Challenge:
Advanced students, have you heard about PETA’s attempt to make the English language kinder to animals? This article covers the francophone debate surrounding this highly publicized motion and mentions several French expressions likely to face scrutiny for inciting animal cruelty. You’ll find that avoir d’autres chats à fouetter is not the only one! (I’ll add that the children’s song Une souris verte was a shocker when I first heard it!)
https://www.letemps.ch/societe/on-disait-jai-dautres-cas-fouetter
Looking for more French expressions?
We’ve moved to a different space! If you don’t have other cats to whip, check out the collection of decoded French expressions on my new site! You’ll find fun visuals, tips, recommendations, and much more!
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