A drink or beverage considered weak, watery, or of poor quality, especially formerly used for tea or weak liquor.
From cat + lap, referring to the small, dainty way cats lap up liquids, implying something barely substantial enough to be worth drinking. Dates to at least the 1700s.
This delightfully snobbish insult was used by those who thought weak tea was fit only for cats to lap at—imagine Victorian diners sniffing at someone's beverage and calling it 'catlap'! It reveals how language captures social attitudes about what's considered adequate or proper.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.