man of straw
Americannoun
noun
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a person of little substance
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Also called: straw man. a person used as a cover for some dubious plan or enterprise; front man
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a man who cannot be relied upon to honour his financial commitments, esp because of his limited resources
Etymology
Origin of man of straw
First recorded in 1615–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Others may consider that Author Priestley has hit an easy mark and is jumping on a man of straw when he is down.
From Time Magazine Archive
You are knocking down a man of straw here .
From Time Magazine Archive
If this is a man of straw, he has a pretty good punch.
From Time Magazine Archive
I have been a man of straw long enough.
From Time Magazine Archive
“I am but a man of straw, Arthur,” he said.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
