“Ask again, and you'll be down to eight lives.”
Who said it, when and why?
Wednesday Adams (Wednesday: S01 E02)
Enid is quite excited after Wednesday has agreed to join The Black Cat for the rowing competition as a part of The Poe Cup. Wednesday has come to know about Bianca's evil plans to sabotage the performances of all her competitors, something that she has been doing every year to win the cup. As there are no rules in The Poe Cup, there's no-one to stop her, but Wednesday is quite eager to beat her at her own game.
Upon Enid's instructions, Wednesday put on her cat costume but only after exhibiting a horrified expression. When she comes out of the tent clad in cat's costume, Enid is ecstatic. However, she sounds a little upset, and asks why Wednesday had not painted her whiskers. Wednesday's motives were far above just winning The Poe Cup. She saw a rival in Bianca right from her match-up at fencing, and wanted to beat her. Already exasperated at having to wear the costume, she remarked and wittily threatened Enid with this line - "Ask again, and you'll be down to eight lives."
What does it mean?
In many cultures and belief systems, cats are believed to have nine lives. Of course, in a realistic sense, the cats only have one life just like everybody else. But this myth has gained popularity over the years for a very valid reason. The belief may be rooted in the fact that cats are agile creatures, highly flexible, and they can land on their feet from incredible heights. They survive in circumstances in which other animals normally would not make it.
In this episode of Wednesday, as the name of their team is The Black Cat, and they both are dressed like cats, Wednesday's remark reflects her intellect and sarcastic prowess. Upon being asked about the whiskers, the idea which she thoroughly despised, her response is a smart way of saying 'I'll kill you', and hence Enid would be left with one less life.