strawman
1
8.9
- noun
- /ˈstrɔˌmæn/
- Jargon
- The company set up a strawman to conduct the transactions, making it difficult to trace the real owners.
Examples
-
While Kendall's ruling on that acquittal was pending, the government indicted Schuchmann again for another alleged strawman loan.
Academic text (1999) -
An AIM is a strawman used by those who can't or who don't want to countenance reasonable criticism of whatever.
Blog text (11) -
The gun dealers had no knowledge of the 'deals' that the strawman purchases were being given to gun traffickers.
Blog text (30) -
Schuchmann was tried in federal court in Dallas in 1994 for allegedly getting proceeds from "strawman" loans.
Academic text (1999) -
2) complete strawman.
Blog text (22) -
The ATF/DOJ didn't produce or issue any 'illegal' orders; it is simply the State of Arizona's own weak gun laws and lack of punishments for strawman purchases.
Blog text (30) -
In an illegal scheme, the criminal used a strawman to hide his true identity from law enforcement.
-
Using a strawman in their investment strategy allowed them to conceal their financial activities from regulators.
Synonyms
64
8.8
A person who pretends to run a business to hide illegal activity
12
7.9
A man who acts as the public leader while others secretly control things
1
8.2
A person who appears to own things but hides the real owner often for illegal acts
1
9.9
A woman whose name is used to hide the true owner of something
A woman who appears to own something to hide the real owner
How Involved
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Strawman comes from the idea of a person made of straw and man, something without real power. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a dummy who acts as a 'front', which is why strawman can mean someone used to hide who is really responsible.