re: #319 SanFranciscoZionist

A lot of European language have euphemistic words for bears. “Beowulf” actually means bear, but literally, “bee-wolf”. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, you get others like ‘the good calf’, ‘honey-eater’, ‘honey-pig’.

The OED says it’s because of a hunter’s taboo about naming wild animals directly. I imagine that bears and humans often end up competing—we eat the same stuff, want the same caves, etc. A wolf doesn’t break into houses or cars for food, but bears do it all the time.

Was there ever a taboo against naming Cats directly?