is a bear Catholic

• is the bear Catholic

A combination of the two rhetorical questions is the Pope Catholic? and does a bear shit in the woods?. Compare does the Pope shit in the woods?.

is a bear Catholic

1. (idiomatic, humorous) Obviously! Rhetorical question in response to a question where the answer is an emphatic yes.
   • 1977, Bill Hotchkiss, “January 1, 1975”, in Fever in the Earth, Newcastle, Calif.: Blue Oak Press, →ISBN, chapter 10 (Numunana Lives in the Inyo), page 234:

     Ginny: Do you want me? / Isaac: Yes. I want you very much. You don’t need to ask that. / Ginny: You really want me? / Isaac: Is a bear Catholic? / Ginny: What are you talking about? / Isaac: It’s a variation on the old saw—here’s the whole thing. Is a bear Catholic? Does the Pope shit in the woods?

   • 1989, Lewis Grizzard, “The Russians Out in the Code”, in Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night, New York, N.Y.: Villard Books, →ISBN, chapter 12 (International Relations), page 168:

     ludlow: “‘Rosebud’ in the third race at Pimlico.” (I’m so tired of Russian food, I could eat a horse.) / me: “This little piggy went to market.” (Before I left home, I went by the Piggly Wiggly supermarket and picked up a couple of cans of pork and beans for the trip. Want some?) / ludlow: “Is a bear Catholic?” (In the name of God, yes.)

   • 1993, Robert Mason, chapter 12, in Chickenhawk: Back in the World: Life After Vietnam, New York, N.Y.: Viking, →ISBN, part 2 (The Scam), page 106:

     “Take on final supplies. Stock up. Top off the fuel tanks, the water tanks, and stock the food lockers—” / “And la cerveza locker, sí, Juan?” Ireland laughed. / “Is a bear Catholic, Rámon? The cerveza locker? The cerveza locker? This ain’t gonna be an easy trip, not easy, no, but we’re going to be living good.” John raised a beer and we touched cans.

• Eric Partridge [author of 1st edition], Paul Beale, editor (1985), “American responses to stupid questions”, in A Dictionary of Catch Phrases: British and American, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day, 2nd edition, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, →ISBN, page 11:

  ‘In response to what is considered a stupid question I’ve often heard nonsense retorts such as the following from people throughout the country: […] These last two phrases are frequently used together in the variant is a bear Catholic—does the Pope shit in the woods?’ (George A. Krzymowski, a medical student, New Orleans, 1978).