cat's-paw

noun

ˈkats-ˌpȯ

plural cat's-paws

: a light air that ruffles the surface of the water in irregular patches during a calm

[from the fable of the monkey that used a cat's paw to draw chestnuts from the fire] : one used by another as a tool : dupe

the … government became the cat's-paw for foreign powers—

D. J. Boorstin

: a hitch knot formed with two eyes for attaching a line to a hook see knot illustration

these changes to the zoning laws have only confirmed for many that the town council has become the cat's-paw of local real estate developers

First Known Use

circa 1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of cat's-paw was circa 1769

See more words from the same year

Style

“Cat's-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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