/ · 1894 Brewer’s · M · Man of Straw (A)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A person without capital. It used to be customary for a number of worthless fellows to loiter about our law-courts to become false witness or surety for anyone who would buy their services; their badge was a straw in their shoes.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.