# gatta morta



## netta efrat

what does it mean: gatta morta

thank you
netta


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## Giannaclaudia

netta efrat said:
			
		

> what does it mean: gatta morta
> 
> thank you
> netta


Gattamorta = slyboots - fare la gattamorta = to play dumb
from "il Ragazzini" ed. Zanichelli

gattamorta (comp. di gatta e morto):  persona che maschera un'indole aggressiva o malevola sotto un aspetto dolce e mansueto.
da "Devoto Oli" ed. Le Monnier


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## kriumif

What does "gattamorta" mean? Is it a peggiorative word?
Thanks!


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## fede5

Yes...it is a peggiorative word!!! Usually it is addresed to a woman!


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## robbotiku

To be frank, I have never figured out the real meaning of that word. It is used for a very fickle, seductive and teasing woman that moves like a cat. Hope someone will be more clear...


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## mercedesm

Hello! Gattamorta stands for a woman that is appearently very quite, calm and also shy, but in fact she ends up having things arranged as she wants... if referred to men it involves the idea that this woman pretends not to be seductive but instead.....
hope this helps
mercedes


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## primo_cerchio

Gattamorta means:sly person, one who Hides his her real personality acting calm and quiet and naive. Fare la gattamorta: to behave with hidden intentions.


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## You little ripper!

Paravia translates it as _someone who plays the innocent/plays dumb._


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## Saoul

Paravia is quite vague, in this case, I may say. 
There is a strong sexual connotation in "gattamorta". 
That definition is quite ok for "finto tonto", which is quite different though.


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## kriumif

excuse my ignorance but who is Paravia? could gattamorta be used for referring to a woman who pretends she is not looking for love but in real fact she is?


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## Saoul

Ciao Kriumif,

Paravia is one of the most important It-En En-It dictionaries.
Concerning the definition of GATTAMORTA, I would stick to mercedesm definition in post #5. It seems to be quite precise, to me.


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## robbotiku

Yes you can, Kriumf. But it is possible that when she gets it, she refuses and pretends you've misunderstood her behaviour! Paravia is an Italian publishing house specialized in Dictionaries


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## kriumif

uuuuuu, ok, in a few words, MEN BEWARE!!! 
thank you!


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## plabrocca

Ciao a tutti,

I just heard the expression _gatto morto_ on a TV show. I'm certain there was a thread about it but I can't find it. Would someone remind me what this means?

Grazie!

Pat


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## fran06

Maybe they said Gatt*a* mort*a*?
If so, it usually refers to women who flirt a lot.

Ciao


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## plabrocca

A woman said it to her brother as they were getting into an argument. 

Pat


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## Saoul

Here's the thread


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## stanfal

link here for gatta morta; if it was a gatto, sorry, can't help!

S.

Edit: crossed...


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## Diamante

> "Persona subdola, che nasconde il suo vero carattere dietro un aspetto fin troppo ingenuo" (Zanichelli)


 
In Italian, we tend to use it to refer to the one who likes flirting and playing the coquette glossed over to much candour, naturalness and ingenuity.


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## zigzag

Diamante said:


> In Italian, we tend to use it to refer to the one who likes flirting and playing the coquette glossed over to much candour, naturalness and ingenuity.




It should be added that this expression is used only for weman.


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## girlfromengland

Know this is an old thread but I was just wondering is it an _insult_ or a _compliment_ to be described as a gatta morta? Is it like being false and superficial or more like being flirtatious/making polite conversation/playing dumb in a friendly way?


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## kittykate

Hi girl, 

gatta morta definitely has a "bad" meaning, though it is not as strong an insult as e.g.  stronza. It could refer to being flirtatious/polite/playing dumb, but as a means to reach a goal - like you think I'm dumb but in fact I'm using you.
Gatta morta is also a bit old-fashioned to my ears.

caterina


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## Signora Spider

If 'gatta morta' is now an old fashioned expression, what is used as a more up to date way to say it please?


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## tee_luna

I don't think it is THAT old-fashioned, specially since there are so many reality shows where being a "gatta morta" is a MUST


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## Alxmrphi

kittykate said:


> Hi girl,
> 
> gatta morta definitely has a "bad" meaning, though it is not as strong an insult as e.g.  stronza. It could refer to being flirtatious/polite/playing dumb, but as a means to reach a goal - like you think I'm dumb but in fact I'm using you.
> Gatta morta is also a bit old-fashioned to my ears.
> 
> caterina



So it's a good usage to say to a/talk about a very manipulative person, someone who is very crafty and does anything to get what they want?


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## underhouse

Alex_Murphy said:


> So it's a good usage to say to a/talk about a very manipulative person, someone who is very crafty and does anything to get what they want?


 
I think this is too much for a "gatta morta"!


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## kittykate

underhouse said:


> I think this is too much for a "gatta morta"!


 
I agree: a gatta morta (or gattamorta, you can find both) is a more/less pretty girl/woman who uses her (good) looks to get (usually) men to do what she wants.
She may be more or less crafty/bright, but she certainly is a teaser.
Her motto is "Let them smell it but don't let them have it".
She would always pretend she's innocent and not manipulative at all.

Hope this helps

caterina


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## tee_luna

kittykate said:


> I agree: a gatta morta (or gattamorta, you can find both) is a more/less pretty girl/woman who uses her (good) looks to get (usually) men to do what she wants.
> She may be more or less crafty/bright, but she certainly is a teaser.
> Her motto is "Let them smell it but don't let them have it".
> She would always pretend she's innocent and not manipulative at all.
> 
> Hope this helps
> 
> caterina


 

I would go as far as saying she is a cock-teaser ... but, that is a little bit too rude and vulgar


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## kittykate

Tee Luna

By the way, I just learnt from the net that this term comes from Aesop's fables, where a cat would pretend he was dead so that birds would go by and he could catch and eat them...

WRF is so stimulating 

caterina


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## tee_luna

kittykate said:


> Tee Luna
> 
> By the way, I just learnt from the net that this term comes from Aesop's fables, where a cat would pretend he was dead so that birds would go by and he could catch and eat them...
> 
> WRF is so stimulating
> 
> caterina


 
and there I thought it was because women love to tempt men and then leave them stranded ("dare il due di picche sul più bello")


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## kittykate

No no no, it's even sneakier than that!


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## Alxmrphi

Ok, I understand perfectly well what it means now, I've been to clubs enough times to recognise that!


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## underhouse

Alex_Murphy said:


> Ok, I understand perfectly well what it means now, I've been to clubs enough times to recognise that!


 
How would you say that in English Alex?


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## Alxmrphi

I'm not sure that we have a specific word for someone likes this, we'd probably say something like shallow and manipulative. I'm not aware of a specific word/phrase to describe a girl like this besides "tease", someone who leads people on (pretends they're interested for their own gain)

I suppose the noun "tease" and the verb "to lead someone on" are perfect though actually, I just had a browse around the net and assured myself they're right.


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## kittykate

So it's "tease" as a noun, not "teaser"?

caterina


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## Alxmrphi

Exactly! "teaser" as an adjective sounds quite weird


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## kittykate

Sorry Alex, maybe I'm just too tired, but: 

"That girl is a tease" 

vs.

"That girl is a teaser"

You would say "a tease", ok.


... But you can say, e.g., "teaser trailer", in which case "teaser" is used as an adjective...

caterina


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## Alxmrphi

Yeah because in the second one we aren't talking about a person, we're talking about what type of "trailer" something is.


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## kittykate

Very well then, thank you


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## ilargi berria

can the translation be "dead goose"?


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## Alxmrphi

ilargi berria said:


> can the translation be "dead goose"?


 
Mai sentito, non capirei il senso se lo ascotassi.
Potrei chiedere perché ce l'hai chiesta? Hai visto da qualche parte?
Ciao.


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## ilargi berria

Ciao. L'ho trovato nella descrizione di un personaggio femminile: "she was looking beautiful one moment and like a dead goose the next". Ho pensato che in italiano il senso potesse essere quello di gatta morta, ma se mi dite che non si usa... Grazie!


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## Alxmrphi

Qui significa, ad un momento lei sembrava bella, ma, all'altro momento, sembrava terribile... (brutta/ ecc) non so come direbbe esattamente la stessa cosa in italiano, ma non è l'accezione di 'gatta morta' di cui parlavamo prima nel thread.


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## bluebelle07

"gatto morto" transaltes, literally, to "dead cat"...but it's really just a modern slang phrase that means someone has a bad hair-do....something like, your hair is so bad, it looks like a dead cat laying on your head...


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## london calling

bluebelle07 said:


> "gatto morto" transaltes, literally, to "dead cat"...but it's really just a modern slang phrase that means someone has a bad hair-do....something like, your hair is so bad, it looks like a dead cat laying on your head...


The expression in Italian means something completely different, as you will have seen when reading all the various posts.

One thing I thought you people might find interesting: here in Campania, if you say a girl /woman is a "gatta morta", it doesn't mean she's flirtatious: it means the exact opposite, if anything. A "gatta morta" is totally uninteresting, slow, uninspiring, has no get up and go, etc., a kind of zonmbie and is actually one of the worst comments you can make about a woman down here  (especially a young one). I wonder where the difference comes from?


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## OleMorris

I think that originally 'gatta morta' stood for 'slow, uninspiring' as london calling says, then it eventually started meaning 'flirtatious' to refer to those girls who apparently seem 'slow, zombish, not attractive' but then they turn out to be completely different if you get to know them better.



bluebelle07 said:


> "gatto morto" transaltes, literally, to "dead cat"...but it's really just a modern slang phrase that means someone has a bad hair-do....something like, your hair is so bad, it looks like a dead cat laying on your head...


 
yes, 'gatto morto' & 'gatta morta' have two different meanings.


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## mosquitoinasequindress

OleMorris said:


> I think that originally 'gatta morta' stood for 'slow, uninspiring' as london calling says, then it eventually started meaning 'flirtatious' to refer to those girls who apparently seem 'slow, zombish, not attractive' but then they turn out to be completely different if you get to know them better.


 
I agree with this description, another way to say it "acqua cheta", for someone who does not make fuss but obtains what he wants on the sly.

Ciao,


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## Sandrokkio

it's an offence indeed!
I would say that a _gatta morta_ is a girl/woman who loves to flirt a lot, with her voice or seductive attitude, but then she doesn't get to the final "action" and leaves the man sexually unsatisfied 

What about  "cocktease" in English?


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## Alxmrphi

Sandrokkio said:


> What about  "cocktease" in English?



Perfetto.


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