Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Proverbs 84. The proverb today is there's
more than one way to skin a cat. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here.
This proverb basically means that there is more than one way to do a particular
job or a particular task. Okay. Let's take a , let's continue here. The earliest
citing, remember if we say citing, that's the first time they found it or
they were able to find it in history when they searched back for it. So the
earliest citing of this proverb comes from a short story called
"The Money Diggers." Okay. In 1840 by Seba Smith. Here is the quote from the book.
"There are more ways than one to skin a cat. So there are more ways
than one of digging for money. " So I guess it was a book where they were digging in
the ground to find money or I don't know maybe gold or whatever it is that they
were searching for. So anyway they were trying to say that there's more ways
than one to do it. And you might often ask I know I often
thought it was strange one any time I've heard this proverb. Why did they say
to skin a cat you know, to skin means to cut the skin off an animal. I know we we
like it back in the 1800s you hear that they used to skin bucks, you know maybe the
you know we know they skinned minks. We know that their fur is very, very
valuable. Why a cat ? We know American Indians you know used to skin buffalo.
They used to use that for a lot of their clothes and their material. But a cat ? I
mean did they eat the cat ? Why are they skinning the cat ? Was this skins
hair or fur valuable ? I don't know it just it does seem a little strange when
you think of it , but that's what it means. Okay. Let's continue. Let's take a look at
some examples of how we might hear it used. All right. Example number one. I know
they trained you to do it that way, but I can show you a shortcut. You know, a
shortcut means an easier way or a faster way. You know there's more than one way
to skin a cat. Yeah. This could be like a situation it
may be somebody was being trained like in a factory on
an assembly line or something and maybe somebody already trained him a little
bit. And then another guy took over and maybe this new guy you know, did this job
before he maybe he found an easier way to do it. So yeah, I know they told
you this way but there's more than one way to skin a cat. You follow this way
this way. I think is easier so this would be a typical way we might hear it used
or let's look at number two. If this method doesn't work we have a plan B.
Okay. Don't worry there's more than one way to skin a cat yeah maybe we have
other ways that we could try. So that's it there's other ways we could possibly
you know achieve this goal or achieve what you're trying to get. Okay anyway, I
hope you got it. I hope it's clear. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.