stalking-horse
stalking-horse is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 1 sense, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.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.
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- antecedent
- avant-courier
- bellwether
- dawn
- exordium
- foreboding
- forerunner
- foreword
- frontispiece
- groundwork
- harbinger
- heading
- herald
- inaugural
- introduction
- introductory
- leader
- omen
- outrider
- overture
- pioneer
- preamble
- precedent
- precursor
- precursory
- predecessor
- preface
- prefatory
- prefigurement
- prefix
- preliminary
- prelude
- preludious
- prelusive
- prelusory
- preparation
- principle
- prior
- prodrome
- prodromous
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/stalking-horse
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