CAT,
a common Whore or Prostitute. Who shall hang the bell about the Cat's Neck? Who shall begin the Attack first? said of a desperate Undertaking.
a common Whore or Prostitute. Who shall hang the bell about the Cat's Neck? Who shall begin the Attack first? said of a desperate Undertaking.
Entry taken from 1736 Canting Dictionary, by Nathan Bailey.
Cat in the 1811 Vulgar Tongue
Also see examples in Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes collected by John S. Farmer (1896).