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man of straw

See more synonyms for man of straw on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. straw man.
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Origin of man of straw

First recorded in 1615–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

cover, front

Examples from the Web for man of straw

Historical Examples

  • Suppose this man-of-straw, Dingle, gets a judgment and his paltry damages are paidwhat then?

    The Boss of Wind River

    David Goodger (goodger@python.org)

British Dictionary definitions for man of straw

man of straw

noun
  1. a person of little substance
  2. Also called: straw man mainly US a person used as a cover for some dubious plan or enterprise; front man
  3. a man who cannot be relied upon to honour his financial commitments, esp because of his limited resources
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012