DCHP-1 Online

cat ((3)) 3 † 

• 1 n. a caterpillar tractor; a bulldozer.

  See also: bulldozer  

  • 1934  The North . . . awoke to the challenging roar of the "cats" as they hustled their heavy burdens over the cumbrous frozen land.
  • 1952  "Cats" and "cat-swings," "cat skinners" and "brakies" are all part of the fabulous transportation system of the Canadian north.
  • 1963  Use of traditional cats for snow removal would allow speeds of only up to three miles an hour.

• 2 n. North, Informal a tractor-drawn train of sleds and cabooses (def. 5), the principal means of transporting freight, supplies, etc. in the Canadian North in winter.

  See also: caboose (def. 5)  cat-train  

  • 1952  . . . dogs and "cats" between them have transported men, materials and supplies to the isolated settlements or lonely shacks.
  • 1952  The life line of the northland, which makes it possible for people to live in tiny, isolated settlements . . . are the "tractor trains" called by the north people "cat swings" or "cats."