pussyfoot
pussyfoot Lexical Profile
pussyfoot Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To act cautiously, evasively, or noncommittally in order to avoid taking a direct stand or offending someone.
"The committee cannot afford to pussyfoot around the budget deficit any longer."
To tread or move stealthily, softly, and warily like a cat.
"He tried to pussyfoot down the hallway so he would not wake the sleeping infant."
• noun
A person who acts cautiously, evasively, or timidly to avoid committing to a definite course of action.
"Critics dismissed the senator as a political pussyfoot who refused to take a clear stand on tax reform."
Any of various low-growing perennial plants of the genus Antennaria in the family Asteraceae, native to temperate regions and notable for soft, fuzzy white or pinkish flower heads that resemble a cat's paw (usually used in the plural).
"Clusters of soft white pussyfoots bloomed along the dry, rocky meadow trail."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in late 19th-century American English from 'pussy' (cat) and 'foot', in reference to the soft, stealthy, and cautious tread of a cat.