paddy paw

English

Etymology

pad + -y + paw

Noun

paddy paw (plural paddy paws)

1. An animal's paw with a soft pad.
   • 1895 November, Rudyard Kipling, “How Fear Came”, in The Second Jungle Book, London, New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 9:

     Mowgli was sitting cross-legged, and explaining things with his forefinger in his usual way, when Bagheera put out a paddy paw and pulled him over backwards into the water.

   • 2002, Hazel Hutchins, TJ and the Cats:

     He reached out a paddy paw. Bat. Bat. The door bounced ajar. Max walked in.

   • 2006, Jonathan Stroud, Ptolemy's Gate:

     My voice was velvet-smooth. "Be careful, though. I'm not exactly defenseless myself." From my paddy-paw a talon popped, curved like a sickle moon.