dead cat on the line

a dead cat on the line

A phrase used to describe a situation in which something is wrong. She's been acting so strange lately that I'm worried there's a dead cat on the line.See also: cat, dead, line, on

dead cat on the line

Rur. [for something to be] wrong. I'm afraid there's a dead cat on the line over at Martha's place. I haven't heard from them for days. Bill has a kind of sixth sense. He can tell a dead cat on the line before anybody knows there's something wrong.See also: cat, dead, line, on