好词典

paw

UK /pɔː/US /pɔː/

词源

源自中古英语 pawe,与古法语 poue(爪子)同源,可能最终源自日耳曼语系。

noun

❶ 指猫、狗等动物的脚掌,通常带有柔软的肉垫和爪子,用于行走或抓握物品。

“The dog lifted its paw to shake hands.”

(狗狗抬起爪子握手。)

“Her cat left muddy paw prints on the floor.”

(她的猫在地板上留下了泥泞的爪印。)

❶ 指动物用爪子抓、扒或拍打的动作,或形容人笨拙地用手摸索。

“The bear pawed at the honey jar.”

(熊用爪子扒拉蜂蜜罐子。)

“She pawed through her bag looking for keys.”

(她在包里胡乱翻找钥匙。)

同义词:foot, claw, pad

常见短语

cat's paw — 比喻被人利用的工具或傀儡,源自寓言中猴子用猫爪从火中取栗的故事。

“He realized too late that he'd been used as a cat's paw in their scheme.”

(他醒悟太晚,自己成了他们阴谋中的傀儡。)