Phrase guide

cat melodeon

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Terrible, appalling; of very poor quality.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Cacophonous; raucous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, informal

Examples

  • 2021 Christy Moore and Wally Page, "Zozimus & Zimmerman" The lights went down and the crowd went cat melodeon We were all revved up and ready to engage Having hitch hiked all the way from Minnesota Zimmerman was there before us on the stage

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Compare cat (“terrible”) and cat's melody. Ciaran Carson suggests the influence of Irish cat marbh or cat mara; literally "dead cat" or "sea cat", figuratively "calamity".