pussyfoot

pussyfoot
/poos"ee foot'/, v., n., pl. pussyfoots.
v.i.
1. to go or move in a stealthy or cautious manner.
2. to act cautiously or timidly, as if afraid to commit oneself on a point at issue.
n.
3. a person with a catlike, or soft and stealthy, tread.
4. Chiefly Brit. a teetotaler or prohibitionist.
[1890-95, Amer.; PUSSY1 + FOOT]
Syn. 2. hedge, dodge, sidestep, straddle.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • pussyfoot — 1903 (v.) “tread softly;” 1914 (n.), “detective,” from PUSSY (Cf. pussy) (1) + FOOT (Cf. foot). It acquired strong associations with Prohibition in U.S. through being the nickname of stealthy Oklahoma prohibition agent W.E. Johnson (1862… …   Etymology dictionary

  • pussyfoot — [v] be cautious avoid, beat around the bush*, be noncommittal, creep, dodge, duck the issues, equivocate, evade, glide, hedge, hem and haw*, lurk, play it close to the vest*, prevaricate, prowl, shuffle, sidestep, sit on the fence*, skirt*, skulk …   New thesaurus

  • pussyfoot — ► VERB (pussyfoots, pussyfooting, pussyfooted) 1) act very cautiously. 2) move stealthily …   English terms dictionary

  • pussyfoot — ☆ pussyfoot [poos′ēfoot΄ ] vi. Informal 1. to move with stealth or caution, like a cat 2. to shy away from a definite commitment or from taking a firm stand pussyfooter n …   English World dictionary

  • Pussyfoot — This article is about a British recording act. For the Warner Bros. cartoon character see Marc Antony and Pussyfoot. Pussyfoot is also the name of a non alcoholic cocktail.Pussyfoot was the name of a British recording act of the late 1970s.The… …   Wikipedia

  • pussyfoot — pus|sy|foot [ˈpusifut] v [i]also pussyfoot around/about informal to be too careful and frightened to do something, such as making firm decisions or telling someone exactly what you think ▪ You can t pussyfoot around when it comes to keeping kids… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • pussyfoot — UK [ˈpʊsɪˌfʊt] / US verb [intransitive] Word forms pussyfoot : present tense I/you/we/they pussyfoot he/she/it pussyfoots present participle pussyfooting past tense pussyfooted past participle pussyfooted informal to avoid saying or doing… …   English dictionary

  • pussyfoot — puss|y|foot [ pusi,fut ] verb intransitive INFORMAL pussyfoot around to avoid saying or doing anything definite because you are nervous and do not know what to do …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • pussyfoot — also pussyfoot around/about verb (I) informal to be too careful and frightened to do something, such as taking firm decisions or telling someone exactly what you think: Stop pussy footing around, and tell me what he said! …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • pussyfoot — also pussyfoot around/about verb (I) informal to be too careful and frightened to do something, such as taking firm decisions or telling someone exactly what you think: Stop pussy footing around, and tell me what he said! …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • pussyfoot — verb when the subject is the prosecution of abusive parents, we can t pussyfoot around Syn: equivocate, tergiversate, be evasive, be noncommittal, sidestep the issue, prevaricate, quibble, hedge, waffle, beat around the bush, hem and haw;… …   Thesaurus of popular words

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