1. a person used by another to accomplish their purposes; a tool or dupe
Usage: usually singular 'catspaw' but 'catspaws' is the standard plural
2. a light breeze that ruffles the surface of water in patches
Usage: nautical

Examples

• He was merely a catspaw in their scheme to defraud investors.
• The corrupt official used several catspaws to carry out illegal transactions.
• She refused to be a catspaw for her ambitious colleague.
• The sailors watched for catspaws on the water to catch the wind.
• Multiple catspaws danced across the bay that afternoon.