\ ˈkats-ˌpȯ 
\
\ plural cat's-paws
Definition of cat's-paw
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
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Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
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Time Traveler for cat's-paw
The first known use of cat's-paw was circa 1769
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