cat whiskers
Sensitive facial bristles
Cat whiskers are the long, stiff sensory hairs projecting from a cat's face, technically called vibrissae.
They detect air currents and help cats navigate tight spaces.
In early radio, a cat whisker was a thin wire touching a crystal to detect signals—the crystal set's crude tuning mechanism.
The phrase the cat's whiskers means something excellent or stylish, now somewhat dated.
- vibrissaeSensory facial hairs
- sensory organsStructures that perceive stimuli
- felineOf or like cats
- facial hairBeard, mustache, stubble
- muzzleAnimal's nose area
sensitive · twitch · bristle · snout · antenna · sensory · nose · paws · grooming · sleek · catfish · delicate · facial · touch · navigation · balance · hunting · night
- whiskersvibrissae
- string figurescat's cradle, Jacob's ladder, cup and saucer, witch's broom, spider web
- cat culturecat portraits, cat prints, cat posters, enamel pins, lucky cat
- caper familycaper
- catscat, kitten, kitty, feline, tabby
- witchcraftwitch, spell, spellwork, witches, spells