ˈtom-cat, tomcat, v. U.S. slang.
[f. the n.]
intr. To pursue women promiscuously for sexual gratification. Freq. const. around. Hence ˈtomcatting vbl. n.
| 1927 Dialect Notes V. 478 Tom catting, v., to seek illicit sexual adventure. ‘Jeff he's out a-tomcattin' roun' some 'ers.’ 1932 W. Faulkner Light in August xii. 259 So this is where you tomcat to every night. 1939 J. Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath xvi. 239, I was goin' out an' dance, an' I was gonna go tom-cattin'. 1953 W. P. McGivern Big Heat ii. 23 A guy tom-catting around while his wife's away. 1962 H. Green Time to pass Over iii. 42 Don't drink, don't chew, don't tomcat with the women so far as I know. 1975 New Review May 20/1 ‘He had a very strong tendency to be doing a lot of tomcatting.’.. Would go out looking for women. 1980 G. Thompson Murder Mystery (1981) xxii. 172 A man who's been tom-catting around with three women all day long. |