When a cat is happily kneading its paws on a blanket or other surface we tend to call it "making biscuits" here in North America. I'd love to hear from people in other countries: what do you call this kneading in your language (if non-English) and what does it mean?
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In Italian it's "fare il pane" or "fare la pasta" (to make bread or pasta), probably because of the kneading movement 🇮🇹
Going to try this. And I need to find a good shepherds pie recipe!
i have most of a block of soft tofu leftover from a vegan cookie recipe, considering using it to thicken up a stew
Sorry.
And I'm in north America so I have nothing to add. 🤷🏻♂️
We call it "hnětení". It incidentally means "kneading" as well.
We do use the word mirri for both cats and female genitals, but it's not derogatory, just a slightly cringe nickname
-von meinem Skeetphone gesendet
If you had never heard it - and 9 cats in, I had not, until a few years ago - "making biscuits" is not just odd, it makes no sense.
Biscuit dough is not kneaded.
Perhaps that should be 'kneedles'?
No cutesy names or colloquialisms.
Just as word describes.
Kneading little breads
Tucked and loaf mode as “laying eggs” which is the only time I’ve heard that
The origin is, that this behavior is rooted in their kitten time, looking for mom's milk and activating her teats
We called it "making bread" or "kneading."
I only first heard the phrase "making biscuits" relatively recently, in the age of social media. Same for "toe beans."
Now I have seen that word so many times in this thread that it’s hit that “semantic satiation” point.
Kickle? 🙃
Also Milchtritt (kicking for milk) and kneten (knead).
At least, that's a valid reason for finding a hair in your pie.
-von meinem Skeetphone gesendet
I use similar motions while giving massages & always refer to that as kneading.
(Or we just say she's kneading things.)
I 'rest' my case.
Sorry, not sorry.
It has its roots in a George Carlin routine.
Because that’s what it is. To reinforce the flow of milk.
(this is purely a humorous suggestion)
That being said, "patounes" is a sweet slang for "paws", and so making it a verb would be very similar to what I said originally.
C'est trop mignon 😭💖
Kneading the dough, making biscuits, like you said.
I don't care what the hell people want to call it.
I call it love. 😻 😍 💕 💞
"Con" roughly translates to child and "mèo" is onomatopoeia for the sound that they make.
I've never heard anyone else say that, and I thought pussyfooting meant "acting cautiously," so I think that usage was unique to this particular person.
Is it analogous to when dogs turn around a few times before they lie down?
- the scientfic one is "Milchtritt" (lit. milk kick)
- there's also kneten (kneading) and "treteln" (neologism, a sort of diminiuitive of "treten" (to kick)
related pic of Piper doing her kneading upside-down
ich tretle (pronounced "tret - le", not "tretel")
du tretelst
er/sie/es tretelt
wir treteln
ihr tretelt
sie treteln
ich tretelte
du treteltest
er/sie/es tretelte
wir tretelten
ihr treteltet
sie tretelten
past participle: getretelt (e.g. sie hat getretelt)
"Making biscuits" is cute.