Meanings
- humorousslanglifestyleSynonym of on the other hand
“All this is wonderful,” said Beau. “But, on the other paw, I will have to make most of these trips alone. You would be out of place in the Garden of Eden, the Lion's Den, or on the Ark.”
2005 August 29, Norman E Stephenson, Paw Prints Through the Ages: The Adventures of Beauregard the Far-Traveled Siamese Cat, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 2432 more examples
“Now, I don't think these [wounds] are quite big enough to warrant wrapping a big ugly bandage around your midsection. […] But on the other paw, we can't just leave these wounds open.” While he talked, he bent back to his bag and dabbed another cloth in the bowl.
2010 November 15, Kyell Gold, “Colian and Corwin” (chapter 11), in Shadow of the Father, 24 Carat Words, →ISBN, page 76Argus was nestled between the children, and Phoebe asked him the question she couldn't ask out loud. The cat didn't know, though he assumed someone must know they were there, since they were brought there presumably by someone on the planet. Though…the cat began to think about possibilities…what if they were brought there by someone who wasn't on the planet, […]? On the other paw, someone drew the big red arrow, […] so it must be someone on the planet. On the other paw…maybe…the arrow appeared by magic. So maybe it was another witch who brought them there. On the other paw…Argus broke off, staring at his paws as though trying to remember where he was. Phoebe sighed. He didn't know any more than she did.
2019 September 28, Robin Buckallew, chapter 22, in Swallow the Sun: A Leafy Tom Adventure, Lulu Press, Incorporated, →ISBN, page 91Synonyms: on the other hand
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see on, the, other, paw.
He licked the fingers perfunctorily and returned his attention to the injured paw. […] The bleeding stanched at last, exhausted with pain and hunger, he laid his head on the other paw, his muzzle resting lightly on the hand.
2014 December 2, Sheila Burnford, Bel Ria: Dog of War, New York Review Books, →ISBN, page 147
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseSynonym of on the other hand
Cite this entry
on the other paw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20other%20paw
“on the other paw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20other%20paw. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the other paw,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20other%20paw.
Source: on the other paw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.