wooden Indian
noun
a carved wooden statue of a standing American Indian, formerly found before many cigar stores as an advertisement.
(often lowercase) Informal. a person who appears emotionless and unresponsive; a poker face.
Origin of wooden Indian
An Americanism dating back to 1875–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for wooden indian
Levake was standing near a wooden-Indian cigar-store sign, looking directly at Bucks as the latter walked toward him.
The Mountain Divide|Frank H. Spearman