pussyfoot

From pussy (“feline”) +‎ foot; because of the light and careful tread of cats.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpʊs.iˌfʊt/

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pussyfoot (third-person singular simple present pussyfoots, present participle pussyfooting, simple past and past participle pussyfooted)

1. (intransitive) To move silently, stealthily, or furtively.
2. (intransitive) To act timidly or cautiously.
   • 2004, Jeph Jacques, Fripp and Eno‎:

     — So are you going to practice what you’re preaching and stop pussyfooting around with Faye?
     — Hey, I’m 0 for 1 when it comes to practicing what I preach. These feet stay pussied for the time being.

   • 2023 April 5, “Network News: NAO: Use HS2 Euston pause to put project on a stable footing”, in RAIL, number 980, page 13:

     The TSSA union said the Government should "stop pussyfooting around" and place Euston at the heart of the transformative rail project.

3. (intransitive) To use euphemistic language or circumlocution.
   • 1946, Tennessee Williams, The Unsatisfactory Supper:

     "Then you talk up! And plain! What's there to be so pussyfooting about?"

pussyfoot (plural pussyfoots)

1. (dated) A teetotaller.
   • 1930, Sax Rohmer, The Day the World Ended, published 1969, page xi. 103:

     "We keep off that road like a pussyfoot keeps off whiskey. Get it out of your bean that we're exploring a deserted ruin."

• pussytoe
• walk on eggshells