cat's-paw

noun

ˈkats-ˌpȯ 

plural cat's-paws

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

Synonyms

• instrument
• lay figure
• pawn
• puppet
• tool

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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