Where does the phrase, "copycat" come from?

1 Answer

Answer :

The term copycat (also written as copy-cat or copy cat) refers to the tendency of humans to duplicate the behavior of others, as expressed in the saying, ” monkey see, monkey do.” This notably happens in the case of suicide and murder. The term is used both for the act and for the person. It is often used in the derogatory sense, meaning a plagiarist. The expression may have originated from observing the habits of kittens that learned by imitating the behaviors of their mother. Copycat has been in recorded use since at least 1896, in Sarah Orne Jewett’s ” The Country of Pointed Firs ” but the expression could be many decades older. Source

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