Blake: Hey, you want to play golf this weekend?
Smedley: Yes. My wife is out of town. When the cat's away, the mice play golf.
Smedley: Yes. My wife is out of town. When the cat's away, the mice play golf.
by jbarryd June 22, 2012
An idiom used when people (mostly kids) mess around and sometimes abuse their leeway when someone in authority is not around. Used to describe disobedient people, like kids.
Person 1: Have you seen the kids in the classroom? Person 2: Yeah, the teacher ain't around and they're abusing their leeway. Person 1: Well that's a problem. When the cat is away the mice will play anyway.
by Anx Tuah April 29, 2025