look like something the cat dragged in

Idioms  

1. Appear completely bedraggled, as in After running around in the rain for hours, I looked like something the cat dragged in. This expression alludes to a cat's bringing home birds or mice it has killed or savaged. [c. 1920]

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Example Sentences

“You look like something the cat dragged in.”

From Literature

In photos they look like something the cat dragged in.

From Time Magazine Archive

Right this minute you look like something the cat dragged in.

From Project Gutenberg