straw man

== English == === Alternative forms === strawman === Etymology === From straw +‎ man. Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1986 passim, shows first known usages for things insubstantial date to 1585-95. Universal Dictionary of the English Language, 1897, Vol 4, p. 4485, notes “man of straw” as “The figure of a man formed of an old suit of clothes stuffed with straw; hence, the mere resemblance of a man; one of no substance or means; an imaginary person.” Compare West Frisian strieman, Dutch strooman, stroman, German Strohmann, Danish stråmand, Swedish stråman, Norwegian stråmann. === Pronunciation === === Noun === straw man (plural straw men) A doll or scarecrow, particularly one stuffed with straw. (figurative) An innocuous person or someone of nominal or lesser importance, as a front man or straw boss. (figurative) An insubstantial concept, idea, endeavor or argument, particularly one deliberately set up to be weakly supported, e.g. by misrepresenting an opponent's argument by broadening or narrowing the scope of a premise, so that it can be easily knocked down; especially to impugn the strength of any related or contrasted thing or idea. Antonym: steelman (figurative, engineering, business) An outline serving as an initial proposal for a project, usually refined iteratively. Synonym of straw buyer. ==== Translations ==== === Verb === straw man (third-person singular simple present straw mans, present participle straw manning, simple past and past participle straw manned) (transitive) To falsely attribute an insubstantial argument (a straw man argument) to another through direct declaration or indirect implication; to put words in someone's mouth. Coordinate term: steelman 1996 [Vale Press], Ralph H. Johnson, The Rise of Informal Logic, Windsor Studies in Argumentation, 2014, E-edition, page 178, I have also argued that he is guilty of straw manning Copi and that his charge of shoddy reasoning against Kahane makes use of an equivocation on the concept of fallacy. === See also === straw poll straw shoe straw vote === Further reading === straw man on Wikipedia.Wikipedia straw man proposal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia