When The Cat’s Away, The Mice Will Play

Synonyms of when the cat’s away, the mice will play

• absence makes the heart grow fonder
• while the cat's away, the mice will play
• opportunity makes a thief

Antonyms of when the cat’s away, the mice will play

• when the cat's away, the mice will not play
• supervision prevents mischief
• discipline keeps order

Collocations of when the cat’s away, the mice will play

opportunity knocks

Frequency: 70 %

When the cat's away, the mice will play, and that's when opportunity knocks for those who are ready to seize it.

absence makes the heart grow fonder

Frequency: 60 %

The boss being away on vacation made the team realize how much they missed her, proving that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

out of sight, out of mind

Frequency: 50 %

The store manager warned the employees that when the cat's away, the mice will play, but out of sight, out of mind does not apply in this case.

freedom to act

Frequency: 45 %

The students knew that with the teacher absent, they had the freedom to act as they pleased, but they chose to use the time wisely.

unattended tasks

Frequency: 35 %

The unattended tasks piled up in the office while the boss was away, proving the saying 'when the cat's away, the mice will play.'

Idiomatic Expressions for when the cat’s away, the mice will play

• Phrase: When the cat's away, the mice will play
  Meaning: This phrase means that people will take advantage of the absence of authority figures to do as they please.
  Usage: The employees knew that the boss was out of town for the day, so they decided to have a long lunch break. When the cat's away, the mice will play.