text: where does the phrase.. "not much room to swing a cat" come from? is there a standard 'cat' size?? the saying comes from the old days of the royal navy,when a  sailor was being flogged the whip was known as a cat o'nine  tails,this was due to the nine strands of plaited leather,knotted at the end which were attached to the stock;when all hands were called to witness punishment they had to stand a regulation 5paces from the master at arms who was doing the flogging,therefore he had to have eneough roon to "swing a cat"