Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. cowardly, weak; general term of abuse.

1912		Day Book (Chicago) 15 Aug. 25: The pussy-foot News is throwing a fit.
1913		Day Book (Chicago) 13 May 22: Respectable women can’t go about their shopping without being annoyed by some pussy-footed masher.
1916		J. Lait ‘Charlie the Wolf’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 33: Kelly and Kiernan, the Chief’s front office pussy-foot stars.
1939		H. Miller Tropic of Capricorn (1964) 215: The pure thought such as Immanuel Pussyfoot Kant gave us and which only a ventriloquist’s dummy could reproduce.
1996		S. Bell If... 16 Feb. in If Files (1997) 55: It’s Poossyfoot Paisley, Minister of Lurve in the Blair Revolution!!

2. teetotal.

1919		Dundee Courier 31 July 3/1: [headline] The ‘Pussyfoot’ Campaign.
1921		W.S. Churchill letter 9 Feb. in Jenkins Churchill (2002) 356: F.E. has gone absolute Pussyfoot for a year. He drinks cider and ginger pop and looks ten years younger.