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]
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