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stool pigeon

 - 6 dictionary results

stool pigeon

 
Use stool pigeon in a Sentence
–noun
1. a pigeon used as a decoy.
2. Also called stool⋅ie  [stoo-lee] , stooly. Slang. a person employed or acting as a decoy or informer, esp. for the police.
Origin:
1820–30, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To stool pigeon
stool pigeon  
n.  

  1. Slang A person acting as a decoy or as an informer, especially one who is a spy for the police.

  2. A pigeon used as a decoy.


[From the practice of tying decoy pigeons to a stool to attract other pigeons.]
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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Cultural Dictionary

stool pigeon

An informer, especially for the police: “Lefty figured out that Mugsy was the stool pigeon when he saw him talking to the warden.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
stool (pigeon) [ˈstul ˈpɪdʒən] and [ˈstuli]

and stoolie
  1. n.
    an informer. (Originally underworld.) : Some stool pigeon spilled the works to the boys in blue. , I'm no stoolie!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

stool pigeon 
1830, Amer.Eng., said to be from notion of decoys fastened to stools to lure other pigeons. But perhaps related to stall "decoy bird" (1500), especially "a pigeon used to entice a hawk into the net" (see stall (2)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

stool pigeon

A decoy or informer, especially a police spy. For example, Watch out for Doug; I'm sure he's a stool pigeon for the supervisor. This term alludes to a bird tied to a stool or similar perch in order to attract other birds, which will then be shot. However, one writer believes that stool is a variant for stale or stall, both nouns used for a decoy bird before 1500 or so. [c. 1820]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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