Touch Not The Cat
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
TOUCH NOT THE CAT (R4x32) 4C set John Drewry Greenburn Book 13s and 4s start on opposite sides
1- 8 1s+2s also 3s+4s dance RH across, 2s+3s dance ½ R&L
9-16 All dance RSh reels of 4 on sides
17-24 1L+3L also 2L+4L cross passing partner LSh and dance down/up side to change places, 1M+3M also 2M+4M cross passing partner RSh and dance down/up side to change places. 2413
25-32 All circle 8H round and back
(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)
Dance Information
The motto of the Clan MacPherson is "Touch not the cat bot a glove".'Bot' means without. The 'glove' of a wildcat is the pad. If the cat is 'ungloved', its claws are unsheathed. The motto serves as a warning that one should beware when the wildcat's claws are 'without a glove'.
It is a reference to the historically violent nature of the clan and serves as a metaphorical warning to other clans that they should think twice before interfering with MacPherson business.
Touch Not This Cat
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Text from this original Clan MacPherson article on Wikipedia.
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