pussyfoot

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English

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Etymology

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From pussy (feline) +‎ foot; because of the light and careful tread of cats.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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pussyfoot (third-person singular simple present pussyfoots, present participle pussyfooting, simple past and past participle pussyfooted)

  1. (intransitive) To move silently, stealthily, or furtively.
  2. (intransitive) To act timidly or cautiously.
    • 2004, Jeph Jacques, Fripp and Eno[1]:
      — So are you going to practice what you’re preaching and stop pussyfooting around with Faye?
      — Hey, I’m 0 for 1 when it comes to practicing what I preach. These feet stay pussied for the time being.
    • 2023 April 5, “Network News: NAO: Use HS2 Euston pause to put project on a stable footing”, in RAIL, number 980, page 13:
      The TSSA union said the Government should "stop pussyfooting around" and place Euston at the heart of the transformative rail project.
  3. (intransitive) To use euphemistic language or circumlocution.
    • 1946, Tennessee Williams, The Unsatisfactory Supper:
      "Then you talk up! And plain! What's there to be so pussyfooting about?"

Translations

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Noun

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pussyfoot (plural pussyfoots)

  1. (dated) A teetotaller.
    • 1930, Sax Rohmer, The Day the World Ended, published 1969, page xi. 103:
      "We keep off that road like a pussyfoot keeps off whiskey. Get it out of your bean that we're exploring a deserted ruin."

See also

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