Question

When the Cat's Away, the Mice Will Play when the person in charge is absent, people will usually do as they please and take advantage of the freedom

Accepted Answer

When the counselor left, we had a pillow fight. When the cat's away the mice will play. This proverb appears in many languages and has been in use in English since the 1600s. If there's a cat in the house, the mice will tend to stay hidden. But if the cat is gone, the mice will feel safer and venture out. It's the same with people. When the authority figure (the "cat") is not there, the people being supervised (the "mice") run free.

Idiom	When the Cat's Away, the Mice Will Play
Example	When the counselor left, we had a pillow fight. When the cat's away the mice will play.
Meaning	when the person in charge is absent, people will usually do as they please and take advantage of the freedom
Origin	This proverb appears in many languages and has been in use in English since the 1600s. If there's a cat in the house, the mice will tend to stay hidden. But if the cat is gone, the mice will feel safer and venture out. It's the same with people. When the authority figure (the "cat") is not there, the people being supervised (the "mice") run free.

Mice Cat's Play People Cat Counselor Left Pillow