Search:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
catcall (n.)
1650s, a type of noisemaker (Johnson describes it as a "squeaking instrument") used to express dissatisfaction in play-houses, from
cat
(n.) +
call
(n.); presumably because it sounded like an angry cat. As a verb, attested from 1734.