patte de veloursn.

Brit.

/ˌpat də vəˈlʊə/,

/ˌpat də vəˈlɔː/,

/ˌpat də vɛˈlɔː/, U.S.

/ˌpɑt də vəˈlʊ(ə)r/

Inflections: Plural pattes de velours;

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French patte de velours.

Etymology: < French patte de velours (1654 of the behaviour of a cat, 1718 allusively of the behaviour of a human being), literally ‘paw of velvet’ < patte patte n. + de de prep. + velours velours n.

Now rare.

A cat's paw with the claws retracted, used allusively to refer to strength or determination masked by apparent gentleness or docility. Cf. velvet glove n. at velvet n. Compounds 4a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > [noun] > resolution with apparent gentleness

patte de velours1802

1802 W. Scott Let. 17 Oct. (1937) XII. 220 He makes patte de velours but I dread I shall see ‘a whisker first and then a claw,’ stretched out against my unfortunate lucubrations.

1853 C. Brontë Villette III. xxxiii. 84 She played before me the amiable; offered me patte de velours; caressed, flattered, fawned on me.

1859 E. Bulwer-Lytton What will he do with It? (1st Edinb. ed.) III. vii. xviii. 150 I always felt that she had the claws of a tigress under her patte de velours!

1904 ‘P. Pennington’ Diary 1 Jan. in Woman Rice Planter (1913) ii. 59 One is so apt to forget that the ‘patte de velours’ which every one uses in polite society is even more of a help in dealing with the most ignorant.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	patte de velours
释义	patte de veloursn. Brit. /ˌpat də vəˈlʊə/, /ˌpat də vəˈlɔː/, /ˌpat də vɛˈlɔː/, U.S. /ˌpɑt də vəˈlʊ(ə)r/ Inflections: Plural pattes de velours; Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French patte de velours. Etymology: < French patte de velours (1654 of the behaviour of a cat, 1718 allusively of the behaviour of a human being), literally ‘paw of velvet’ < patte patte n. + de de prep. + velours velours n. Now rare. A cat's paw with the claws retracted, used allusively to refer to strength or determination masked by apparent gentleness or docility. Cf. velvet glove n. at velvet n. Compounds 4a. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > [noun] > resolution with apparent gentleness patte de velours1802 1802 W. Scott Let. 17 Oct. (1937) XII. 220 He makes patte de velours but I dread I shall see ‘a whisker first and then a claw,’ stretched out against my unfortunate lucubrations. 1853 C. Brontë Villette III. xxxiii. 84 She played before me the amiable; offered me patte de velours; caressed, flattered, fawned on me. 1859 E. Bulwer-Lytton What will he do with It? (1st Edinb. ed.) III. vii. xviii. 150 I always felt that she had the claws of a tigress under her patte de velours! 1904 ‘P. Pennington’ Diary 1 Jan. in Woman Rice Planter (1913) ii. 59 One is so apt to forget that the ‘patte de velours’ which every one uses in polite society is even more of a help in dealing with the most ignorant. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1802
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