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
