also: ねこびたい
noun
cat's forehead; tiny area
Used figuratively to describe a very small space, especially a small plot of land or garden. Often appears in the set phrase 猫の額ほどの庭 (a garden as small as a cat's forehead). The reading びょうがく is the standard Sino-Japanese reading; ねこびたい is a less common kun-based reading.
See also: 猫の額
家の前には猫額ほどの庭がある。
In front of the house there is a tiny garden, no bigger than a cat's forehead.
都会では猫額ほどの土地でも高い。
In the city, even a plot of land as small as a cat's forehead is expensive.
More common and idiomatic expression meaning 'cat's forehead', used in the same figurative sense of a very small area. 猫額 is a more compact, Sino-Japanese version of the same idea.
Compound of 猫 (cat) and 額 (forehead), literally 'cat's forehead'. The figurative meaning comes from the small size of a cat's forehead, used to describe a tiny area. The reading びょうがく is the on'yomi, while ねこびたい is a mixed kun-on reading.