4. An old game; (a) The game of tipcat and the implement with which it is played. See Tipcat. (c) A game of ball, called, according to the number of batters, one old cat, two old cat, etc.
5. A cat o' nine tails. See below. Angora cat, blind cat, See under Angora, Blind. — Black cat the fisher. See under Black. — Cat and dog, like a cat and dog; quarrelsome; inharmonius. "I am sure we have lived a cat and dog life of it." Coleridge. — Cat block (Naut.), a heavy iron-strapped block with a large hook, part of the tackle used in drawing an anchor up to the cathead. — Cat hook (Naut.), a strong hook attached to a cat block. — Cat nap, a very short sleep. [Colloq.] — Cat o' nine tails, an instrument of punishment consisting of nine pieces of knotted line or cord fastened to a handle; — formerly used to flog offenders on the bare back. — Cat's cradle, game played, esp. by children, with a string looped on the fingers so, as to resemble small cradle. The string is transferred from the fingers of one to those of another, at each transfer with a change of form. See Cratch, Cratch cradle. — To let the cat out of the bag, to tell a secret, carelessly or willfully. [Colloq.] — Bush cat, the serval. See Serval.
CAT
Cat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. tted; p. pr. & vb. n. Catting.] (Naut.)
Defn: To bring to the cathead; as, to cat an anchor. See Anchor.
Totten.
CATA
Cat"a. Etym: [Gr. kata`.]
Defn: The Latin and English form of a Greek preposition, used as a prefix to signify down, downward, under, against, contrary or opposed to, wholly, completely; as in cataclysm, catarrh. It sometimes drops the final vowel, as in catoptric; and is sometimes changed to cath, as in cathartic, catholic.
CATABAPTIST
Cat`a*bap"tist, n. Etym: [Pref. cata + aptist. See Baptist.] (Eccl.)
Defn: One who opposes baptism, especially of infants. [Obs.] Featley.
CATABASION
Cat`a*ba"sion, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.
Defn: A vault under altar of a Greek church.