- man of straw
- Date: 1624 straw man
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
man of straw
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Man of straw — Straw Straw, n. [OE. straw, stre, stree, AS. stre[ a]w, from the root of E. strew; akin to OFries. str[=e], D. stroo, G. stroh, OHG. str[=o], Icel. str[=a], Dan. straa, Sw. str[*a]. [root]166. See {Strew}.] 1. A stalk or stem of certain species… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Man of straw — Man Man (m[a^]n), n.; pl. {Men} (m[e^]n). [AS. mann, man, monn, mon; akin to OS., D., & OHG. man, G. mann, Icel. ma[eth]r, for mannr, Dan. Mand, Sw. man, Goth. manna, Skr. manu, manus, and perh. to Skr. man to think, and E. mind. [root]104. Cf.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
man of straw — ► man of straw (also straw man) 1) a person who is a sham. 2) a person undertaking a financial commitment without adequate means. Main Entry: ↑man … English terms dictionary
man of straw — A weak person that can easily be beaten of changed is a man of straw … The small dictionary of idiomes
man of straw — man′ of straw′ n. straw man • Etymology: 1615–25 … From formal English to slang
man of straw — 1. : an imaginary argument of no substance advanced in order to be easily confuted or an imaginary adversary advancing such an argument seems to be looking for a man of straw to belabor Journal of Forestry 2. : a person usually without means or… … Useful english dictionary
man of straw — A weak person that can easily be beaten of changed is a man of straw. A man of straw is a a weak person or argument that is easily defeated. (Dorking School Dictionary) … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
man of straw — noun a) A weak person. When push came to shove he gave in almost immediately, showing that he was a man of straw after all. b) A tactic used in debates and arguments where a weaker thesis is substituted for the opponents real proposition, this… … Wiktionary
Man of straw — A weak person that can easily be beaten of changed is a man of straw … Dictionary of English idioms
man of straw (also straw man) — 1》 a person who is a sham. 2》 a person undertaking a financial commitment without adequate means. → man … English new terms dictionary
man of straw man — ► man of straw (also straw man) 1) a person who is a sham. 2) a person undertaking a financial commitment without adequate means. Main Entry: ↑man … English terms dictionary
