cat's-paw

or cats·paw

[ kats-paw ]

noun

1. a person used to serve the purposes of another; tool.
2. Nautical.
   1. a hitch made in the bight of a rope so that two eyes are formed to hold the hook of one block of a tackle.
   2. a light breeze that ruffles the surface of the water over a comparatively small area.
   3. the small area ruffled by such a breeze.

cat's-paw

noun

1. a person used by another as a tool; dupe
2. nautical a hitch in the form of two loops, or eyes, in the bight of a line, used for attaching it to a hook
3. a pattern of ripples on the surface of water caused by a light wind

Word History and Origins

Origin of cat's-paw¹

First recorded in 1760–70; in allusion to the fable Le Singe et le Chat “The Monkey and the Cat,” by Jean de La Fontaine, in which the monkey, trying to save its own paw, uses the paw of a cat to retrieve roasted chestnuts out of a fire

Word History and Origins

Origin of cat's-paw¹

(sense 1) C18: so called from the tale of the monkey who used a cat's paw to draw chestnuts out of a fire

Idioms and Phrases

A dupe or tool for another, a sucker, as in You always try to make a cat's paw of me, but I refuse to do any more of your work . This term alludes to a very old tale about a monkey that persuades a cat to pull chestnuts out of the fire so as to avoid burning its own paws. The story dates from the 16th century and versions of it (some with a dog) exist in many languages.