E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Chat.
Nid d’une souris dans l’oreille d’un chat. A mare’s nest. This French phrase is the translation of a line in Wynkyn de Worde’s Amusing Questions, printed in English in 1511. “Demand: What is that that never was and never will be? Response: A mouse’s nest in a cat’s ear.” (See MARE’S NEST.)
