 | WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
| WordWeight : Weighing the Words |
Cat's-paw
Pronunciation : Cat's"-paw`
Part of Speech : n.
Definition : 1. (Naut.) (a) A light transitory air which ruffles the surface of the water during a calm, or the ripples made by such a puff of air. (b) A particular hitch or turn in the bight of a rope, into which a tackle may be hooked.
2. A dupe; a tool; one who, or that which, is used by another as an instrument to a accomplish his purposes.
Note: In this sense the term refers to the fable of the monkey using the cat's paw to draw the roasting chestnuts out of the fire.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
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