Straw man

Posted by Word Camel on April 01, 2002

All this talk of Druids has got me thinking about the phrase, to set up a straw man, meaning to attribute a position to someone that he doesn't hold and then to refute it in order to make it seem as if one has won the argument.

I was thinking of the practice of burning a straw man on Guy Fawkes night - which I understand is the sort of echo of Druidic harvest rituals. I also wondered about using straw men to practice combat with or using a straw man for a decoy.

Who was the straw man? Where does the phrase come from?

• Straw man TheFallen 04/01/02
  • Straw man ESC 04/01/02
    • Straw man vs Man of Straw James Briggs 04/01/02
      • Straw man vs Man of Straw Marian 04/01/02
        • A straw man's best friend? Word Camel 04/01/02