Santa Paws
- noun
- Informal
:
Santa Paws
- Every year, the animal shelter hosts a Santa Paws event for families and their pets.
Examples
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Our dog's photo with Santa Paws became our holiday card.
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Children left treats for Santa Paws along with their pets' Christmas stockings.
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My dog loves Santa Paws during Christmas.
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Have you seen Santa Paws at the pet store?
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Families brought their pets to meet Santa Paws at the local park during the holiday festivities.
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Every December, we take our cat to pose with Santa Paws for a festive photograph.
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The children wrote letters to Santa Paws, asking for toys and treats for their furry friends.
Synonyms
742
1.0
A jolly old man who brings presents to children on Christmas Eve
11
1.0
A friendly old man in red who brings gifts to children at Christmas
4
3.4
A kind man in stories who brings presents to children at Christmas
3
3.6
A man in stories who brings gifts to children at Christmas
1
5.0
A man in stories who brings presents to children at Christmas
A Christian saint from the 300s who inspired Santa Claus and gave gifts to children at Christmas
Surface Forms
Morphology
The name combines 'Santa' and 'paws' so the intended meaning — a pet-themed or animal-version of Santa — is directly inferable from the constituents; a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it as a playful reference to Santa for animals. Although it plays on the sound of 'Santa Claus', the semantic composition is transparent and widely used in pet-related holiday language.
Etymology
Santa Paws mixes Santa (the gift-giving man) and paws (animal feet) to make a funny image of Santa for animals. That's why people use Santa Paws as a 'playful' name for 'Santa Claus' when they celebrate with their 'pets' at Christmas.