cat's whiskers

Muzzle sensory hairs

Cat's whiskers refers to the sensory hairs on a cat's face, but the phrase is best known as dated slang meaning something or someone considered excellent or superior: He thinks he's the cat's whiskers.

Popular in the 1920s alongside similar expressions like the bee's knees and the cat's pajamas, it now sounds deliberately old-fashioned or ironic.

slang

bee's knees

Flapper-era term for excellence

groovy · dandy · slick · ace · snazzy · spiffy · keen · boss · hunky-dory · peachy

excellence

superb

Extremely impressive, first-rate

peerless · matchless · unrivaled · preeminent · supreme · first-rate · world-class · elite · splendid · magnificent

sensory

vibrissae

Sensory facial hairs

navigation · spatial awareness · muzzle · sensitivity · air currents · nocturnal hunting · balance · nerve endings

electronics

crystal radio

Powerless AM receiver using mineral

semiconductor · wireless · radio receiver · germanium · silicon · tuning · antenna · earphone · homebrew · amateur radio

vintage

Roaring Twenties

Prosperous 1920s era

Gatsby · Prohibition · Charleston · bobbed hair · cloche hat · vaudeville · ragtime · Tin Pan Alley · silent film · bootlegger

Opposites
quality/excellence

cat's whiskersthe pits

Utterly awful, slangily

rubbish · garbage · trash · bottom of the barrel · dreck

social regard/status

cat's whiskerssmall fry

Children or insignificant people

bottom-feeder · lowlife · pond scum · yesterday's news · small potatoes

ANATOMICAL FEATURE (literal)

cat's whiskersfur

Animal body hair

eyelashes · coat · claws · tail

Family

cats, cat's, whisker, whiskers, whiskered, catlike, catnip, catfish

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G