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pussyfoot

[ poos-ee-foot ]
/ ˈpʊs iˌfʊt /
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verb (used without object)

to go or move in a stealthy or cautious manner.
to act cautiously or timidly, as if afraid to commit oneself on a point at issue.

noun, plural puss·y·foots.

a person with a catlike, or soft and stealthy, tread.
Chiefly British. a teetotaler or prohibitionist.

RELATED WORDS

dodge, skulk, tergiversate, shuffle, glide, steal, avoid, sidestep, lurk, prowl, evade, sneak, slink, slide, slip, equivocate, hedge, tiptoe, skirt, prevaricate

Nearby words

  1. pussy-cat,
  2. pussy-toes,
  3. pussy-whip,
  4. pussy-willow,
  5. pussycat,
  6. pustulant,
  7. pustular,
  8. pustulate,
  9. pustulation,
  10. pustule

Origin of pussyfoot

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; pussy1 + foot
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pussyfoot

British Dictionary definitions for pussyfoot

pussyfoot

/ (ˈpʊsɪˌfʊt) informal /

verb (intr)

to move about stealthily or warily like a cat
to avoid committing oneself

noun plural -foots

a person who pussyfoots
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for pussyfoot

pussyfoot

v.

also pussy-foot, 1903, "tread softly," from pussy (n.1) + foot (n.). As a noun from 1911, "a detective," American English, from the nickname of U.S. government Indian Affairs agent W.E. Johnson (1862-1945), in charge of suppressing liquor traffic on Indian reservations in Oklahoma, who was noted for his stealthy tactics. Related: Pussyfooting; pussy-footed (1893).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper