cats-paw


cat's′-paw`

or cats′paw`,



n. 1. a person who is exploited by another; tool. 2. a light breeze that ruffles the surface of the water over a small area. 3. a hitch made in the bight of a rope to hold the hook of a tackle. [1650–60; definition 1 so called in allusion to the story of the monkey that used a cat's paw to pull chestnuts from the fire]