cat in the pan

noun3

1. •
   (slang, no longer used) A somersault.
2. •
   (figurative, no longer used) A reversal of a position.

   • When George in pudding-time came o'er, / And moderate men looked big, sir, / I turned a cat-in-the-pan once more, / And so became a Whig, sir; […] — 1927
3. •
   (figurative, no longer used) A falsehood that is spread and attributed to another person.