Jellicle cats的意思

"Jellicle Cats" is a term from the musical "Cats" by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which is based on the poetry of T. S. Eliot, specifically his book "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats." The term "Jellicle" is a made-up word that Eliot used to describe a particular group of cats with special attributes.

In the context of the musical and the poems, Jellicle Cats are a unique breed of cats that come together for the Jellicle Ball, where one of them will be chosen by the Jellicle leader (usually Old Deuteronomy) to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new life. The Jellicle Cats each have their own distinct personalities and talents, and they compete for the honor of being selected.

The term "Jellicle" is not meant to have a specific literal meaning; it's a whimsical, imaginative word that Eliot used to create a fantastical world of cats with their own culture and traditions. It's a part of the imaginative and playful language that Eliot uses in his poems about cats.