wirepuller

American  

[wahyuhr-pool-er] / ˈwaɪərˌpʊl ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that pulls wires.

2. a person who uses secret means to direct and control the actions of others, especially for selfish ends; intriguer.

3. snake.

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wirepuller British  

/ ˈwaɪəˌpʊlə /

noun

1. a person who uses private or secret influence for his own ends

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Other Word Forms

• wirepulling noun

Etymology

Origin of wirepuller

1825–30, wire + puller ( def. )

Example Sentences

He is seen to be a cold-blooded international tycoon and wirepuller, whose “digger” image is wholly cynical and whose global ruthlessness is a matter for shame.

From BusinessWeek • Jul. 29, 2011

Occupation in peace, with a reduced establishment, was not easy to get, and his brother, an inveterate wirepuller, must needs know to whose favor Nelson owed it.

From The Life of Nelson, Volume 1 The Embodiment of the Sea Power of Great Britain by Mahan, A. T. (Alfred Thayer)

O hero amongst men, as a wooden doll is made to move its limbs by the wirepuller, so are creatures made to work by the Lord of all.

From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose Vana Parva, Part 1 by Ganguli, Kisari Mohan

I have never done anything; I have never been a doer, a canvasser, a wirepuller, a manager, in the ordinary sense of these words.

From My Autobiography A Fragment by Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)

The sovereigns whose wirepuller he was were constitutional, and themselves exercised practically very little influence on the course of events.

From Lectures and Essays by Smith, Goldwin