A: What’s wrong, sonny? Cat got your tongue?

B: Oh, he’s just shy around new people, that’s all.

Note: This is short for “Has the cat got one’s tongue?” — a humorous question directed at one who is not speaking very much or at all. For example: We haven’t heard from you all morning — has the cat got your tongue? Often put as a question, this term originally was used mainly with a child who did something wrong and refused to answer any questions. Today it is used more generally to ask anyone to speak. It first appeared in the mid-1800s.