stalking horse

American  

[staw-king hawrs] / ˈstɔ kɪŋ ˌhɔrs /

stalking-horse

noun

1. a horse, or a figure of a horse, behind which a hunter hides in stalking game.

2. anything put forward to mask plans or efforts; pretext.

3. a political candidate used to conceal the candidacy of a more important figure or to draw votes from and cause the defeat of a rival.

---

stalking-horse British  

noun

1. a horse or an imitation one used by a hunter to hide behind while stalking his quarry

2. something serving as a means of concealing plans; pretext

3. a candidate put forward by one group to divide the opposition or mask the candidacy of another person for whom the stalking-horse would then withdraw

---

Etymology

Origin of stalking horse

First recorded in 1510–20

Example Sentences

Now the Antichrist may be a stalking horse for a different question: what it means, in some genetically stable sense, to be human.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

A Labour source said: "I've heard of a stalking horse, but this guy is going to get hoarse from his endless stalking."

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025

Journalism is not a speed horse but more of a stalking horse that doesn’t go to the lead, leaving a lot of run left when he hits the homestretch.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2025

"This is not a stalking horse for rate regulation. Nope. No how, no way," the chair said in October.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2024

In short, the Quaker petition for an end of the slave trade was really a stalking horse for a more radical and thoroughgoing scheme to end the institution of slavery itself.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• also-ran
• long shot
• sleeper
• underdog