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.
Flapper-era term for excellence
- top-notchOf superior quality
- swellIncrease in size
- niftyCleverly effective
- groovySixties slang for cool
dandy · slick · ace · snazzy · spiffy · keen · boss · hunky-dory
Extremely impressive, first-rate
- outstandingExceptionally good or unpaid
- superiorHigher in rank
- exemplaryServing as ideal model
- peerlessHaving no equal
matchless · unrivaled · preeminent · supreme · first-rate · world-class · elite · splendid
Sensory facial hairs
- tactileOf the touching sense
- folliclesHair-producing skin structures
- proprioceptionBody's spatial self-awareness
- navigationDetermining position and course
spatial awareness · muzzle · sensitivity · air currents · nocturnal hunting · balance · nerve endings
Powerless AM receiver using mineral
- detectorDevice that senses
- diodeOne-way semiconductor
- galenaSulfide ore of lead
- semiconductorPartial electrical conductor
wireless · radio receiver · germanium · silicon · tuning · antenna · earphone · homebrew
Prosperous 1920s era
- flapperTwenties unconventional young woman
- Jazz Age1920s American cultural heyday
- speakeasyIllicit liquor establishment
- ProhibitionConstitutional alcohol ban era
Gatsby · Charleston · bobbed hair · cloche hat · vaudeville · ragtime · Tin Pan Alley · silent film
bee's knees
Flapper-era term for excellence
groovy · dandy · slick · ace · snazzy · spiffy · keen · boss · hunky-dory · peachy
superb
Extremely impressive, first-rate
- outstandingExceptionally good or unpaid
- superiorHigher in rank
- exemplaryServing as ideal model
peerless · matchless · unrivaled · preeminent · supreme · first-rate · world-class · elite · splendid · magnificent
vibrissae
Sensory facial hairs
- tactileOf the touching sense
- folliclesHair-producing skin structures
- proprioceptionBody's spatial self-awareness
navigation · spatial awareness · muzzle · sensitivity · air currents · nocturnal hunting · balance · nerve endings
crystal radio
Powerless AM receiver using mineral
semiconductor · wireless · radio receiver · germanium · silicon · tuning · antenna · earphone · homebrew · amateur radio
Roaring Twenties
Prosperous 1920s era
- flapperTwenties unconventional young woman
- Jazz Age1920s American cultural heyday
- speakeasyIllicit liquor establishment
Gatsby · Prohibition · Charleston · bobbed hair · cloche hat · vaudeville · ragtime · Tin Pan Alley · silent film · bootlegger
cat's whiskersthe pits
Utterly awful, slangily
rubbish · garbage · trash · bottom of the barrel · dreck
cat's whiskerssmall fry
Children or insignificant people
bottom-feeder · lowlife · pond scum · yesterday's news · small potatoes
cats, cat's, whisker, whiskers, whiskered, catlike, catnip, catfish