What does it mean?
When nobody is supervising, some people feel free to break the rules.
Closest English saying: When the cat’s away, the mice will play.
What does it literally say?
Όταν λείπει η γάτα χορεύουν τα ποντίκια
Ótan lípi i gáta horévoun ta pondíkia
“When the cat is away, the mice dance.”
The absence of the animal that hunts the mice is an easy picture of loose supervision.
How is it used?
«Μόλις έφυγε ο προϊστάμενος, παράτησαν τις δουλειές τους. Όταν λείπει η γάτα χορεύουν τα ποντίκια.»
“As soon as the manager left, they dropped their work. When the cat is away, the mice dance.”
Where does it come from?
Traditional Greek folk usage. eipane has not documented a first author or a first written record for this saying.
This is an English edition of the Greek entry, which remains the reference version. The English text was written from the Greek entry with the help of AI tools and checked against it. Suggest a correction ↗