Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the human hand, usu. in pl.

1593		Passionate Morrice (1876) 81: I left her in so extreame an agonie, and it was within two dayes after; Whome then I found clasped within a new louers pawes, as iocunde with him [...] as euer I sawe her pleasant with Master Anthonie.
1605		Chapman All Fooles II i: I made no more ado, but laid these paws Close on his shoulders, tumbling him to earth.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V ii: Upon my paws I ask your pardon, mistress.
1627		J. Taylor ‘An Armado’ in Works (1869) I 84: (Like an ape for an apple) they can kiss their paw.
1634		S. Rowley Noble Souldier V i: I will fawne On them, as they stroake me, till they are fast But in this paw.
1672		J. Phillips Maronides (1678) VI 57: Take my cold paw in your hot golls.
1686		Behn Lucky Chance V iii: Nay, I have a great mind to kiss his paw, Sir.
1699		Farquhar Love and a Bottle I i: Keep off your Paws.
1708		W. Taverner Maid the Mistress V i: Keep your Paws at a Distance.
1713		W. King York Spy 29: Another laying hold of a Porringer with both his Paws.
1722		‘Whipping-Tom’ Foppish Mode of Taking Snuff I 10: A Fish-Woman at Billings-Gate, cannot scold now without a Snuff-Box in her swell’d Paws.
1737		H. Carey Dragon of Wantley II i: Once in a Solicitor’s Paw, / You never get out of his Clutches.
1753		Foote Englishman in Paris in Works (1799) I 35: How do’st, old buck, hey? Give’s thy paw!
1766		P. de Marivaux Agreeable Surprise (translation) II iii: For omne bene he applies, / He’s Dead-Alive in critic’s paw.
1771		Smollett Humphrey Clinker (1925) I 159: The pallid contaminated mash which they call strawberries, soiled and tossed by greasy paws.
1785		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘The Lousiad’ Works (1794) I 304: Turn her fair fingers into vulgar paws.
1788		G.A. Stevens Adventures of a Speculist II 120: He runneth about the town like a Bum-bailiff; he defileth every poor soul he putteth his paw upon.
1797		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-Six’ Works (1801) V 25: Pitt claps his paws on something ev’ry day.
c.1800		‘Teddy Blink & Bandy Jack’ No. 26 Papers of Francis Place (1819) n.p.: My pal so ready with his paw, their watch chain is unhooking.
1809		B.H. Malkin (trans.) Adventures of Gil Blas (1822) II 157: Some back-biter [...] is coming with her hue and cry to disturb the repose of these rural scenes, and to lay her paw upon my person.
1811		J. Poole Hamlet Travestie I iii: Paws off—the time we’re wasting—Come, brush.
1827		P. Cunningham New South Wales II 20: It is amusing to see the consequential swagger of some of these dingy dandies, as they pace lordly up our streets, with a waddie twirling in their black paws.
1839		Crim.-Con. Gaz. 11 May 147/3: The liquor freely I to thee rsign, / but paws off Pompey, for this Honey’s mine.
1837		R.M. Bird Nick of the Woods I 171: And didn’t you yourself sw’ar ag’in shaking paws with me, and treat me as if I war no gentleman?
1841		‘Female Tobacconist’ Gentleman’s Spicey Songster 43: One was a youth, turned twenty and two, / He view’d her bird’s eye, then called for a screw; / His pipe being charged, and ramm’d in with his paw, / He was obliged to unload, before it would draw.
1847		Bell’s Life in Sydney 13 Feb. 2/3: The other paw was actively engaged with the conk.
1853		Dickens Bleak House (1991) 357: Stretching forth his flabby paw, Mr. Chadband lays the same on Jo’s arm.
1861		R.H. Newell Orpheus C. Kerr I 20: Bob took his paw out of my hair.
1863		‘Bet Carey’ Donnybrook-Fair Comic Songster 40: And whoe’er gets a blow / From Bet’s fleshy paw, / Will die by the hand of Bet Carey!
1873		W.H. Thomes Slaver’s Adventures 381: He went to Gracia, and almost crushed her little hand in his huge paw.
1880		Bulletin (Sydney) 24 Apr. 4/1: The bar-keeper [...] simply presented his rouillon-filler, or, to use a word prevailing among the ancients, his paw.
1887		G. Devol Forty Years a Gambler 25: My old paw is large enough to hold out a compressed bale of cotton or a whole deck of cards.
1898		W. Pett Ridge Mord Em’ly 14: Your touching it with your clumsy paw don’t improve it.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 21 Aug. 1/1: The Perth police should lay a firm paw on the manikin who motors the metropolis.
1909		W.M. Raine Brand Blotters (1912) 142: The ranchman buried her little hand in his big paw. ‘Right glad to meet up with you, Miss Yarnell.’.
1916		A. Brazil Luckiest Girl in School 107: ‘Paws off! [...] Anybody who interferes with this Kodak will quarrel with me’.
1916		J. Lait ‘If a Party Meet a Party’ Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 99: He noticed that she had a soft little hand, though a working girl, and that when he closed his big paw over it it felt so warm.
1929		W.R. Burnett Little Caesar (1932) 67: The Big Boy [...] stood leaning his huge hairy paws on the table.
1937		D. Fuchs Low Company 187: Keep your lousy paws off me, see?
1940		J.H. O’Hara Pal Joey 3: I could tell she was more impressed than some that were beating their paws off.
1949		N. Algren Man with the Golden Arm 277: The blood ain’t on my paws.
1952		C. Harris Death of a Barrow Boy 29: You can keep your paws to yourself.
1961		(con. 1930s) D. Behan Teems of Times and Happy Returns 131: For Jasez sake, don’t mess up the goods if yeh’ve no intention of buyin’! Take yer microby paws off the wares, if yeh please!
1976		P. Conroy Great Santini (1977) 193: Any of you gentlemen want any coffee, raise your paws.
1981		T. Wilkinson Down and Out 147: His hands were huge for such a small man, paws which seemed to grip the bottle tight as a wrench.
1990		J. Wambaugh Golden Orange (1991) 27: The Evian looked like a tall cool sweating vodka in the meaty paw of Judge Singleton.
2006		G. Pelecanos Night Gardener 22: I put my hand over her mouth [...] She almost bit through my paw.
2015		L. McInerney Glorious Heresies 77: ‘What you do with your grubby paws is nawthin’ to me’.
2021		T. Swerdlow Straight Dope [ebook] I squeeze my paw in the narrow [mail] slot.

2. handwriting, esp. a signature.

1937–84

Partridge DSUE (1984) 860/2: C.18–early 20.

3. the foot.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: paw [...] foot, look at his dirty paws.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1942		W. Winchell On Broadway 23 June [synd. col.] A popular mag printed a remedy for athlete’s paw —a wedding of carbolic acid and camphor.