catfight
nounEtymology From cat + fight. So named because, like cats, scratching is a common defensive tactic among women, as opposed to a fistfight between men.
1
A fight between cats.
- The caterwauling from the catfight in the back yard was awful; I couldn't get to sleep until it was over.
2
Slang A fight or bickering, especially between women.
- Nancy and Sheila got into a catfight when Nancy's boyfriend cheated on her with Sheila.
- Female conflict, seen in this kind of structure, works conveniently—it takes note of aggression in women and sets it against other women. Men are spared. The audience applauds. Everyone loves a catfight.1980, Louise Bernikow, Among Women, New York: Harmony Books, page 207:
1 more example
- There was a time when I would get furious and fire off an angry note if someone cast me in a catfight with a woman colleague. I assumed that catfights would fade as women progressed. They seemed so retro.2005, Maureen Dowd, Are Men Necessary?, →ISBN, page 310:
- Related terms
- catty, handbags, handbags at dawn, the handbags come out, meow!, dogfight