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PAWS

 [paw]   Origin

paw

1   [paw]
noun
1.
the foot of an animal having claws.
2.
the foot of any animal.
3.
Informal. the human hand, especially one that is large, rough, or clumsy: Keep your paws off my property.
verb (used with object)
4.
to strike or scrape with the paws or feet: a dog pawing the door.
5.
Informal. to handle or caress clumsily, rudely, or with unwelcome familiarity.

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Paws is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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verb (used without object)
6.
to beat or scrape the floor, ground, etc., with the paws or feet.
7.
Informal. to handle or caress someone or something in a clumsy or rude manner or with unwelcome familiarity.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English pawe, variant of powe < Middle French poue (cognate with Provençal pauta) < Germanic; compare Dutch poot, German Pfote

Related forms
paw·er, noun
un·pawed, adjective

Can be confused: pause, paws, pores, pours.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

paw

2   [paw]
noun Informal.
father; pa.
Origin:
1900–05, Americanism; earlier and dial. pronunciation of pa, reflecting the now lapsed constraint against a maximally open back vowel in an open stressed final syllable
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

paw
c.1300, from O.Fr. powe, poe, of unknown origin. Evidence points to a root form *pauta, which probably is related to Prov. pauta, Catalan pote, M.Du. poot, Ger. Pfote "paw"). Celtic and Old Low Ger. have been proposed as the ultimate source, but evidence is wanting. The verb is 1604, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

paw definition


  1. n.
    someone's hand. (Jocular.) : Get your paws off me!
  2. tv.
    to feel someone or handle someone sexually. : If you paw me again, I'll slap you!
  3. tv.
    to touch someone more than is necessary or desired, without any sexual intent. : I don't like for people to paw me while they're shaking hands. There is no reason to shake my shoulder, too.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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