Cats & Bags

"And while I'm at it, Casper, let me tell you about letting the cat out of the bag"

"Oh that's easy. I can understand that. Somehow the cat got stuck in a  bag and some kind to legs came along and let him out. So that must be what they say when they have done something really nice and kind. Like when they put an extra dollop of cream on my dish. Right?"

"Oh dear boy, you have so much to learn." lamented Max looking to the heavens as he spoke. " Letting the cat out of the bag is the same as spilling the beans. It means you have told someone something you should not have told them."

"But that's what you said spilling the beans was about. You're confusing me"

"No. They both mean the same thing. You see two legs use different words and phrases to mean the same thing. They have lots of different words for the same thing."

"Right! I got you now. It sounds daft but you could say they were spilling the cat or even they were letting the beans out of the bag. Why can't they keep it simple."

Max rolled his eyes upwards again. "No! Cats are cats and beans are beans. This is about a saying. The cat and the bag is a saying which means the same as spilling the beans but you can't spill the cat or let the beans out of the bag."

"But I've seen those coffee beans they come in bags. There are little bags for little piles of beans and there are big bags for lots of beans. I saw it on that TV box."

"The big bags are sacks and they are what the beans are brought to the shops in. The little bags are paper bags and that's what they sell the beans to the two legs in."

"You said before the two legs paid with beans. So do they pay beans to buy more beans. How do they know which beans are worth more than other beans?"

"Casper ,Casper, that was a long time ago before they used proper money."

"I don't understand but I'm tired and I'm off to have a kidnap now."

"What are you talking about? Who are you going to  kidnap?"

"Oh Max I have learned something you don't know. You know the two legs have that goat in the garden, the one that doesn't say anything and doesn't ever move?"

"Yes the plastic one"

"Well Sidney Seagull told me that the young of goats are called kids. So when I go off for a short sleep it's called a catnap. That means when goats go off for a sleep its called a kidnap so I am going to sleep with the goat in a  kidnap."

"I'm afraid Casper there is sometimes no point in arguing - you go and have a kidnap if you like."

Night night all.