[いとくず, itokuzu] (n) (See 綿ぼこり) lint (as in a clothes dryer or a pocket); waste thread; fibers, such as might wrap around the gears in small mechanisms and cause them to jam; fluff
[いとをひく, itowohiku] (exp, v5k) (1) to pull (the puppet) strings; to direct things from behind the scenes; (2) to stretch out (and keep going); to linger on