Crossword Genius

Pussyfoot ripple on water? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

catspaw

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'pussyfoot ripple' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I cannot tell whether this works.

'on water?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'on' could be 'at' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'at' is located in the answer.
'water?' could be 'spa' (I've seen this before) and 'spa' is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for catspaw that I've seen before include "Tool" , "stooge" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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