man of straw

man of straw (plural men of straw)

1. A weak person.

   When push came to shove he gave in almost immediately, showing that he was a man of straw after all.

2. One who is financially irresponsible.
3. A person put in the front of some business, but who is not really responsible.
4. A tactic used in debates and arguments where a weaker thesis is substituted for the opponent's real proposition, this thesis then being refuted, thereby creating the illusion of winning the argument against the original proposition.

• straw man

• raftswoman