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straw   man  

straw man

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straw man in WordNet English dictionary

noun
  1. an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
    scarecrow  straw man  strawman  bird-scarer  scarer 
  2. a person used as a cover for some questionable activity
    front man  front  figurehead  nominal head  straw man  strawman 
  3. a weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted
    straw man  strawman 
WordNet Lexical Database v3.0, © 2006 Princeton University


straw man in English Wiktionary

 
  1. (noun) A doll or scarecrow.
  2. (noun) An insubstantial concept, idea, or endeavor.
  3. (noun) Something, such as an argument, deliberately set up weakly supported, so that it can be easily knocked down; especially to impugn the strength of any related thing or idea.
  4. (noun) An innocuous person or someone of nominal or lesser importance, as a front man or straw boss. cf. straw poll, straw shoe, straw vote.
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