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stalking-horse - 3 dictionary results
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stalk⋅ing-horse

  [staw-king-hawrs]
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–noun
1. a horse, or a figure of a horse, behind which a hunter hides in stalking game.
2. anything put forward to mask plans or efforts; pretext.
3. a political candidate used to conceal the candidacy of a more important figure or to draw votes from and cause the defeat of a rival.
Origin:
1510–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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stalk·ing-horse   (stô'kĭng-hôrs')
n.  
  1. Something used to cover one's true purpose; a decoy.
  2. A sham candidate put forward to conceal the candidacy of another or to divide the opposition.
    1. A horse trained to conceal the hunter while stalking.
    2. A canvas screen made in the figure of a horse, used for similar concealment.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Stalking-horse

Stalk"ing-horse\, n. 1. A horse, or a figure resembling a horse, behind which a hunter conceals himself from the game he is aiming to kill.

2. Fig.: Something used to cover up a secret project; a mask; a pretense.

Hypocrisy is the devil's stalking-horse under an affectation of simplicity and religion. --L'Estrange.

How much more abominable is it to make of him [Christ] and religion a stalking-horse, to get and enjoy the world! --Bunyan.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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