on the mat Definition

mat¹
noun

1. A flat piece of any carpet-like material, used as a decorative or protective floor-covering, for wiping shoes on to remove dirt, or absorbing impact on landing or falling in gymnastics, etc.

Thesaurus: carpet, rug, floor covering, pad, underlay, runner.
2. A smaller piece of fabric, or a harder material, used under a plate, vase, etc to protect a surface from heat or scratches.
3. A carpet-like, interwoven or tangled covering, eg of vegetation or hair.

verb

tr & intr
matted, matting
1. To become, or make something become, tangled or interwoven into a dense untidy mass.

Derivative: matted
adj

Often said of hair: tangled.
Thesaurus: tangled, twisted, gnarled, uncombed, disordered.

Idiom: on the mat

See on the carpet under carpet.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon matt or matte: from Latin matta.