proverb · North Carolina

When the cat's away the mice will play

People take liberties when supervision is absent.

Recorded region

North Carolina

Tradition

Traditional / unattributed

Topic

Authority

Source

B. J. Whiting, ed., “Proverbs and Proverbial Sayings,” The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, vol. 1 (Duke University Press, 1952), p. 382.

Brown folklore collection; traditional expression recorded in the North Carolina collection.

Source publication: 1952 · Record s-922fc4a66e5f

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