Main Entry: cat's–paw

Pronunciation: \ˈkats-ˌpȯ\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural cat's–paws

Date: circa 1769

1 : a light air that ruffles the surface of the water in irregular patches during a calm
2 [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>
3 : a hitch knot formed with two eyes for attaching a line to a hook — see knot illustration