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The cat’s call, a loud boo resembling a cat’s wail, was used by audiences to express displeasure with actors or playwrights. It remains part of an unreceptive public’s arsenal, occasionally heard in modern times. The term may come from the noise generated by cats congregating at night.
The theater’s history isn’t always pretty, as evidenced by the 16th-century arrival of the derisive whistle known as the cat’s call. Audience members who wanted to express their displeasure with a specific actor would often let out a loud, mocking boo that was said to resemble the plaintive wail of a cat. This noise could be heard on stage, much to the chagrin of the targeted actor or playwright. Instead of a receptive curtain call, a number of actors received a phone call at the end of an unpopular performance.
The call of the cat has remained part of the arsenal of an unreceptive public for centuries. Modern audiences have largely abandoned the practice, but an occasional jeer or cheer from the Bronx can still be heard whenever a performer fails to win over a crowd or deliberately insults their audience. The hecklers on a comedy show, for example, may still make a piercing call whenever a comedian’s material fails.
A cat call is often associated in people’s minds with the wolf whistle, a two-tone whistle usually directed at attractive members of the opposite sex. A cat call can be a series of loud cries used to get attention, while the salacious wolf whistle essentially seals the deal. Noise isn’t always meant to be derisive, but it’s meant to be noticed. Yelling, hollering, Bronx cheers, and other rude noises could fall under this term.
The expression can be a bit confusing, since most cat owners will attest that naming a real cat is nearly impossible. The term is more likely to come from “caterwauling”, the incredible amount of noise generated by cats that congregate in alleyways at night. The sound is unmistakably harsh, just like the boos and loud jeers created during the audience’s cat call.
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