die Katze beißt sich in den Schwanz
German
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editLiterally, “the cat is biting its own tail”. Compare French c’est le chat qui se mord la queue and so on.
Pronunciation
editAudio: (file)
Phrase
editdie Katze beißt sich in den Schwanz
- (idiomatic) it's a vicious circle, every solution leads to a dead end or creates new problems
Usage notes
edit- Usually employed with da and inversion: Da beißt sich die Katze in den Schwanz.