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definitions

wooden Indian

noun
  1. a carved wooden statue of a standing American Indian, formerly found before many cigar stores as an advertisement.
  2. (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. 2018

Examples from the Web for wooden indian

Historical Examples of 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