Mouse

Æsop. (Sixth century B.C.) Fables.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

The Lion and the Mouse


ONCE when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. “Pardon, O King,” cried the little Mouse: “forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?” The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters, who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a waggon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, sent up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. “Was I not right?” said the little Mouse.

“LITTLE FRIENDS MAY PROVE GREAT FRIENDS.”

I have seen you, little mouse,
Running all about the house,
Through the hole your little eye
In the wainscot peeping sly,
Hoping soon some crumbs to steal,
To make quite a hearty meal.
Look before you venture out,
See if pussy is about.
If she's gone, you'll quickly run
To the larder for some fun;
Round about the dishes creep,
Taking into each a peep,
To choose the daintiest that's there,
Spoiling things you do not care.

Cat is not the opposite of mouse. They have too many things in common. They're both mammals. They've both got four legs, two eyes, and a tail. Both cats and mice are commonly found in close proximity to humans. Cat teeth are designed to cut meat (mouse meat, for example) and mouse teeth are designed to gnaw through things, but nevertheless both kinds of teeth are clearly teeth.

So cat can't be the very opposite of mouse. I suggest perhaps »steel mill« or »the seas of Europa« as being the true opposite of mouse.

Did my computer mouse wake up last night and eat the cheese sandwich crumbs I left on my desk?

Pikachu is an electric mouse Pokemon.

M-I-C

See you real soon.

K-E-Y

Why? Because we love you.

M-O-U-S-E

bravery must be a lion in the eyes of a mouse

Cat – the very opposite of mouse? Preposterous!
The very opposite of mouse is perhaps the solar system, or a #2 pencil.

A mouse is a modern-day David. With all our power and technology, a simple rodent can still defeat us.