Do you use this phrase? Or do you use the US version “To have a cow” or the negative being “Don’t have a cow”?

The US version can be traced back to the early 20th century, but the British version dates back much further, and is in fact Scottish in origin. Since it was an idiom spoken rather than written, pinpointing the exact date of usage is tricky, but the 14th century’s fear of a witch’s curse related to literally having kittens seems to be the winner. The closest we come to a written reference is a 17th century court case when the woman’s defense statement blamed a witch’s curse for putting kittens in her belly (yes, really).

We might have heard our heroes and heroines of the Georgian era using this phrase, but it’s up to our readers’ minds to decide if they would have used this literally (in response to a curse) or figuratively (to panic or worry).

Modern usage has it only used figuratively to express someone worrying about something. “I’m running late for dinner. My wife will be having kittens!” “Oh, Beatrice, don’t have kittens. It’s only torn lace.”