straw woman
- noun
- /strɔː wʊmən/
:
mujer de paja
- In the scandal, a straw woman was listed as the director to hide the politician's involvement.
Examples
-
The company used a straw woman to purchase land on behalf of the real owners.
-
Investigators discovered that the account belonged to a straw woman who had no real authority.
-
She is a straw woman!
-
The lawyer used a straw woman to hide the client's identity.
-
In the scandal, a straw woman was listed as the director to hide the politician's involvement.
-
The company used a straw woman to purchase land on behalf of the real owners.
-
Investigators discovered that the account belonged to a straw woman who had no real authority.
Synonyms
1
8.9
A person used as a front to hide the real owners of something
A woman who appears to own something to hide the real owner
A woman who acts as the public face to hide real leaders or illegal actions
Surface Forms
Morphology
straw + woman
The literal meanings of 'straw' (dried stalks) and 'woman' (adult female) do not compose to yield the legal/figurative sense of a person used as a cover or front. This is a figurative, idiomatic use (a gendered variant of 'straw man') and its meaning is unpredictable for a B1 learner who only knows the constituents.
Etymology
Straw woman may come from the image of a figure made of straw like a scarecrow put in front so the real person stays hidden. That's why a straw woman today is a woman whose name is used 'to hide' the true owner or person involved in a secret or illegal activity.