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Stalking horse

noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A horse used as cover by a hunter stalking game. dated
  2. 2
    A candidate put forward to serve a hidden, ulterior purpose in a political campaign, such as testing the field for another potential candidate by gauging voter sentiment or covertly helping another candidate by attracting voters away from a third candidate. idiomatic

    "The Ministry had their candidate, a stalking-horse, useful only to receive the purely Ministerial votes. The votes, thus divided, gave no result."

  3. 3
    A person, thing, or expedient used in a deceptive manner, to achieve some hidden purpose. broadly, idiomatic

    "Do you think my daughter […] fit for nothing but to be a stalking horse, to stand before you, while you take aim at my wife?"

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