“Black cat” - Scene One
Davey asserts, "I knew well I should've ... " Equating the 'black cat' to 'bad luck' is a superstitious notion that depicts Davey's beliefs. Accordingly, Davey's act of picking the cat is synonymous with the invitation of bad luck into his life. The argument which ensues between Davey and Donny concerning the circumstances of the car's death in the first scene bids evidence concerning the adverse implications of 'black cats.' Perhaps, if Davey had ignored the cat, there would have been no arguments.
“Fool of a girl” - Scene Two
Padraic tells James, “I know well you don’t, (‘know what is next on the agenda’) you big feck. Look at the state of you, off bawling like some fool of a girl.” James replies, “Is a Fella not supposed to bawl so, you take his fecking toenails off him?” Comparing James to a girl for crying depicts Padraic’s ideology on masculinity. Padraic expects James to be stoic in the face on the torment which he subjects him to. Manifestly, the pain attributed to the removal of James' toenails is extreme for him to suppress it. Accordingly, even masculine men feel pain.
Fiddle - “Scene two”
Padraic states, “I'm off to Galway to see me cat.” James responds, “And I hope by the time you get home he's laughing and smiling and as fit as a fiddle, Padraic!” Although James’ response is cynical, fiddle underscores the fitness which he wishes for the cat. Fiddle-like fitness denotes unqualified wellness.
Crimes - “Scene three”
Mairead shouts. “No, it's not enough! It's not enough at all for your crimes!... The poor cat you rammed to skitter this morning is what's got into my mad head at all." Manifestly, Davey does not regard his action of ramming a cat to be criminal. However, Mairead considers it to a crime for she is sympathetic towards animals especially the cat. Mairead thinks that shooting Davey would be justice for the cat.
Thick
Davey asserts, “I can't see how shooting cows in the eyes is going to do any damage to the meat trade, now.” Mairead responds, “ Of course you can't, because you're a thick.” Mairead uses the metaphorical term "thick" to accentuate Davey’s ignorance regarding the implication of his shooting. The blind cows would not generated substantial profits like the cows with functional eyes.
