We owe the appearance of this phrase to the author of fables, Ivan Krylov. In 1813, he composed a cautionary story in verse about a cook who relies on a cat named Vaska, hoping that he will keep the mice from the food in his absence. But, when he returns, he discovers that the tailed one is finishing off the food supplies.
“Vaska the cat is a rascal! Vaska the cat is a thief!”
And, Vaska, not just to the kitchen,
He should not be allowed into the yard,
Like a greedy wolf in a sheepfold:
He's a spoil, he's a plague, he's a plague of this place!"
(And Vaska listens and eats).
A similar English expression in such a situation is: "He doesn't even bat an eyelid," that is, he doesn't pay any attention at all.
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