Catfights

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Brawls between females that involve clawing, scratching and pulling at hair ; spiteful disputes or bitter rivalries, often over trivial matters
2. Physical scuffles between women or girls marked by scratching and hair-pulling ; petty, bitter arguments or feuds between people competing for status
3. Fierce, hair-pulling fights between females ; ongoing acrimonious quarrels or rivalries that are often trivial in nature

Etymology: "Catfights" is the plural of "catfight," a noun for a brawl between women that is marked by scratching rather than punching. The word is a plain compound of "cat" and "fight," and its meaning rests on a comparison: a fight between women is likened to the way cats defend themselves, with claws and scratching, in contrast to the fistfight usually associated with men. The surprise lies in the analogy itself. The image is not of cats fighting one another but of the scratching tactic a cat uses when threatened, which the word transfers to women. The "cat" in the compound therefore carries a stereotype about women's combat style rather than describing any animal behaviour in a literal sense.

Synonyms: brawl, scrap, tussle, melee, fracas