cat's-paw

Wikipedia

English

Alternative forms

• cat's paw
• catspaw

Etymology

Meaning 1: From a fable, perhaps of Aesop's, in which a crafty monkey uses flattery to convince a cat to pull hot chestnuts from a fire. The cat singes his paw, and the monkey gobbles up the chestnuts leaving none for the cat. Meaning 2: Probably due to resemblance in terms of shape.

Noun

cat's-paw (plural cat's-paws or cats'-paws)

1. (figuratively) A pawn or dupe; somebody who has been unwittingly tricked into acting in another's interest.
   • 1988, James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford 2004, p. 715:

     A few Republicans lent behind-the-scenes support to this movement, hoping to use it as a cat's-paw to scratch Lincoln from the main party ticket and bring Chase back to life.

   • 2007, Clive James, Cultural Amnesia, Picador 2007, p. 793:

     It could be said – there are plenty who say it – that his rejection of the left has made him a cat's paw of the right, but it is a pretty strange right-wing cat's paw who favours the idea of unrestricted illegal immigration into Spain.

2. A knot of a certain kind resembling a lark’s-foot hitch; see cat's paw for more detailed information.
3. A breeze that ruffles patches of a water surface.
4. A small crowbar.

See also

• monkey’s paw, an unrelated metaphor (due to a short story by W. W. Jacobs)
• cat's-eye, a feature of gemstones
• monkey’s fist, an unrelated type of knot