Japanese

Noun

猫の額 ‎(hiragana ねこのひたい, romaji neko no hitai, historical hiragana ねこのひたひ)

1. (idiomatic) tiny, not enough room to swing a cat; literally, “a cat’s forehead”

   猫 (ねこ)の額 (ひたい)ほどの庭 (にわ)

   neko no hitai hodo no niwa

   a garden as tiny as a cat’s forehead

Usage notes

Primarily used of areas, notably a room, an apartment, a garden, or a plot of land.

References

1. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9