(Native speaker, from Ireland) I'd never heard this phrase before.
I could have guessed it - straw being something typically lightweight and easily blown away. So I'd assume it's a person with no strong convictions, no 'presence' or impact on others? But it wouldn't be in very common usage here.
There is an unrelated "strawman" term too, but it's not one of the options above.
Spid3rDemon•
That's pretty accurate. Straw is weak and empty. In other words it lacked substance.
ekkidee•
Doesn't seem to be common as such, but "straw man" is much more familiar. A straw man argument is one that is empty, has no substance, and is easily defeated.
cinder7usa•
I’m not sure if scarecrows are used anymore. They were human figures made out of straw, dressed, and stuck in a field to scare crows away from crops. A “man of straw” can be used to describe someone to say that they’re a person, but maybe one that’s not solid, reliable, etc.
I almost never hear this term anymore. It could be used to refer to a political candidate that might be all flashy appearances, but with no real conviction/plan/vision.
Dorianscale•
I’ve never heard someone use “man of straw”
A “straw man” is the way it’s commonly formatted.
Taken literally it’s a synonym for a scarecrow. It’s literally a thing made to look like a person but made of straw stuffed in clothes. But the connotations for straw man are different because it’s usually associated with a straw man argument/fallacy.
A straw man argument is when you start arguing against a fake position that no one is arguing to make your position seem smarter, more reasonable, etc.
RichCorinthian•
This is not a commonly-used phrase in US English but I can guess what it means, mostly based on the Three Little Pigs story.
andmewithoutmytowel•
As others have said, this isn't common phrasing, but there is a common argument called a "straw man" fallacy, where you intentionally misinterpret an argument to make it easier to argue than the actual issue, then you attack the argument instead of addressing the topic.
For example if someone were to argue for diversity in universities, I might say "That's just communism, and communism is a failed political philosophy that has led to the deaths of millions, from Pol Pot to Mao Zedong, to Holodomor; I can't even believe that my opponent would try to argue in favor of such a failed system!
The origin comes from weapons practice; people used to fill clothes with straw to make scarecrow-like dummy to practice archery, jousting, etc. You've probably seen this portrayed in movies. Since a straw man can't hit you back, they're an easy opponent to defeat.
99923GR•
I've never heard this phrase as a native speaker.
ebrum2010•
I hear strawman all the time (in relation to the fallacy) but I haven't heard "man of straw" at least not in some considerable time. It sounds like a good name for a Man of Steel parody.
InfamousCount4293•
I’ve heard it at times as well “A straw of a man”.
7YM3N•
Not a native but scarecrows come to mind. It looks like a man but has nothing inside of value
45thgeneration_roman•
It's used in a legal context in the UK to mean someone with no assets and so not worth sueing
TopHatGirlInATuxedo•
I think it's related to scarecrows, which are traditionally made of straw. It's basically saying that appearances can deceive.
FuxieDK•
I never heard of "a man of straw"..... But a "straw man", is the (master) mind behind the crime, committed by others.
That could fit option B.
Cumcuts1999•
Native speaker here and fuck if I know
Prize_Statistician15•
Looking through the comments, it seems like this is not a phrase used much in the anglophone world, but one which a native english speaker would be able to understand from other "straw" metaphors: strawman arguments, scarecrows made of straw, and the story of the Three Little Pigs have all been mentioned as reference points.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is a poor question to ask someone learning english as a second language without the cultural referents mentioned here. If someone used this in conversation, you'd be fine to ask what it means; if you didn't ask, I doubt you'd be very much inconvenienced.
Thrompz•
A man who is weak willed or does not have a strong character. I actually look this one up. This seems like a very old phrase that I have not ever heard. Origin was 1629 apparently lol.
DankCatDingo•
American native speaker here. Yeah, to mirror what others have said, I don't think I've ever heard someone use this expression.
But there is a common children's story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. Each of the pigs builds their house out of a different material to protect themselves from the wolf. The first two build their houses of straw and sticks respectively, and each is blown down by the wolf. And yes, as others have mentioned there is the traditional idea of a straw man or scarecrow. The "Straw Man" fallacy also exists. This is when two people are having an argument, and one person addresses an overly simplified and weaker version of their opponent's beliefs.
Dovahkiin419•
A A man of straw just isn't a thing. Closest i can think is a scarecrow (a practice farmers would use. They'd stuff sacks with straw and sew them together into the rough shape of a person, dress it up in old clothes then hang it from a post in their fields to keep crows from eating their crops. Funnily enough while it might have fooled other birds it just doesn't work on crows because they're smart enough to realize the scarecrow isn't a man)
then a strawman is a kind of bad argument where you badly summarize what the other person is saying so it's easier to beat them, like making a scarecrow is a badly made copy of a person
ManufacturerNo9649•
Also used in legal circles.
straw man
n. 1) a person to whom title to property or a business interest is transferred for the sole purpose of concealing the true owner and/or the business machinations of the parties. Thus, the straw man has no real interest or participation but is merely a passive stand-in for a real participant who secretly controls activities.
alistofthingsIhate•
I've never heard this term before living in the US. Calling something a [straw man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man) is common but it's not something you would say about a person.
busterfixxitt•
Very curious where in the world this language course is based. As a Canadian, I've never heard this phrase. In fact, I'm struggling to recall the last time I heard someone described as 'lacking substance'.
But perhaps that says more about the quality of my social circles than I'm aware of.
CoffeeGoblynn•
I'm from the US and I've never heard the term used that way. I've heard of "strawman arguments," meaning an argument put forth that is intended to portray an opposing viewpoint in a negative light and act as a punching bag for your own argument.
human-potato_hybrid•
No clue lmao
Legend_of_the_Arctic•
Nothing.
The closest actual English saying is “straw man,” but it doesn’t mean anything like the four choices above.
If I’m arguing with you and I repeat your argument but make it sound much weaker so that I can refute it, I’m making a straw man argument.
Separate_Draft4887•
This is a little odd. I’ve never heard that, but there IS a “strawman” which is a kind of logical fallacy and which is very similar to the definition they gave.
I think this may be one of those resources to avoid.
Previous-Expert-106•
Google: https://www.theidioms.com/man-of-straw/
AustmosisJones•
Typically the only time I hear this phrase used is when people are referring to a specific debate tactic, called the "straw man."
It's where you address arguments and points (usually completely ridiculous ones) that no one is actually making, so that you can easily dismiss or ridicule said points. It's meant to evoke the image of someone setting up a fake opponent, made of straw, like an old scarecrow, only so that they can knock them down to show how strong they are.
You see this kind of thing a lot in our political discourse in the US. A good example is this idea that people are brainwashing children into transitioning genders at an early age. They say "we must put a stop to this!" Never mind the fact that it isn't happening in the first place.
tailz98•
Native English speaker (Welsh). It's a phrase I've heard, but never really used it myself. I've always known it to mean a person of no character.
The history of the phrase seems a bit vague, but I like this one from idiom.com, I don't know how true it is, but I like the story it has:
"The origin of the idiom “man of straw” can be traced back to a Scottish proverb that dates back to the 1500s. The proverb stated that “he’s but a man of straw that will not stand the wind.” This saying was commonly used to describe individuals who lacked determination or strength."
Kindly-Arachnid-7966•
I've never heard the phrase but I imagine it is along the lines of calling someone spineless, that a light breeze could push them over.
Head-Impress1818•
A man of straw? I’ve literally never heard that a single time in my life. What are you learning English from?
ItsEonic89•
People wouldn't call it "a man of straw," they'd use the term "straw-man" or "steel-maning."
This means a caricature of a person/ideology/argument, usually done in a debate to make someone's position seem week.
The antonym for this would be a "steel-man" or "steel-manning," where you make the best possible case you can think of for a person, ideology, or argument.
Empty-Ad2221•
Native Speaker: North America - I always assumed this referred to the scarecrow (or Straw Man) from classic Novel/Film The Wizard of Oz, who is asking the wizard for a brain, as he lacis one.
Affectionate_Egg_969•
No one says this
nerdyguytx•
Straw Man is a common term in the US legal world. From Black's Law Dictionary:
1) A fictitious person, especially one that is weak or flawed. 2) A tenuous and exaggerated counter argument that an advocate makes for the sole purpose of disproving it. 3) A third party used in some transactions as a temporary transferee to allow the principal parties to accomplish something that is otherwise impermissible. 4) A person hired to post a worthless bail bond for the release of the accused.
shosuko•
Probably related to strawman argument aka the logical fallacy of creating or characterizing your opposition in a way that is defeatable but not realistic.
this is opposed to steelman argument aka giving your opposition the benefit of the doubt or giving them concessions to ensure you respect them.
Likely also related to scarecrows, which are clothes stuffed with straw and posted up in fields. There is also a history of using outfits stuffed with staw in battlefields to appear more imposing or otherwise confuse the opposition.
I don't think I've ever heard it said as "man of straw" but I think in the right group it could be said that way. Maybe as a poetic inference but not in casual speech.
ElectronicHeat6139•
'A man of straw' is used in law when someone has so few assets that it's not worth suing them. Even if you win, you cannot get anything from them. The 'of no substance' answer is correct.
[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100131816](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100131816)
edit: added link.
Imightbeafanofthis•
A straw man is also an effigy used as a symbolic representation of a real person. It is not the person it represents, just a symbol. An example of a strawman being used in this way is the burning of Old Man Winter at the beginning of spring in pagan rituals. I believe this is how "A man of straw" came to mean, "A man of no substance."
icyu•
thats some duoligo level of learning right there
KingKryptid_•
I think they mean a straw man, not a man of straw cuz that isn’t how we would say it. A straw man is commonly used to describe a stupid argument someone invented to attack as if it was their opponent’s argument because it’s much easier.
Morall_tach•
I'm a native speaker (Western US) and I've never heard this phrase, but the fourth one makes sense.
Evil_Weevill•
"a man of straw" means this test developer has no actual knowledge of modern idioms and is teaching you shit you don't need to know.
That is to say, I'm a native speaker and went to school for English literature and I've still never heard this phrase. Not to say it's never been used. I could see it being used in some poetic prose to describe someone who is weak or frail. But it is not, in and of itself, a known saying. Like you couldn't just use that in casual conversation and expect the listener to get it right away.
DopazOnYouTubeDotCom•
I assumed they meant “strawman” which is another person’s argument misrepresented to look much weaker than it really is.
Ippus_21•
That's... not really a thing. I mean, the meaning would be immediately clear to a native speaker, but it's not an idiom that's in common use.
There *is* something called a Straw Man Fallacy, which is a logical/debate fallacy that involves attacking only the least substantive part of your opponent's argument, or worse, an argument your opponent isn't even making. It refers to the difference between using a straw target to practice archery or other combat arts vs fighting real enemies.
Pringler4Life•
As a Canadian I have never heard this phrase before.
However, I have heard weak or cowardly people referred to as a "paper man" for the exact same reason. Paper is easily destroyed
sexytokeburgerz•
If you say this with an accent people will think they misheard you. This may have been said 100 years ago
derskbone•
Just wondering where you are that you're seeing this and what dialect it purports to be. I've never heard the phrase in US or British English or any of the Indian English novels I've read.
Fit_General_3902•
I've never heard "man of straw" used in the U.S.
The strawman argument is a thing, but it's very different from this.
Competitive-Dog-4207•
United States: No-one uses that phrase. The only similar word we would use is "straw man" which means someone or something you have imagined for the sake of an argument.
Some-Passenger4219•
American English is my first language, and I've never heard of this. BUT! I *have* heard of a "strawman", or a fake argument, where you argue by attacking the wrong thing, like it was a scarecrow you've mistaken for a person.
mdcynic•
I've never heard that exact expression before but I'd be able to intuit its meaning.
Slow-Kale-8629•
In British legal jargon, I believe you can call someone a "straw man" to say that they have no assets, so there's no point in suing them.
Quantum_Heresy•
I've never heard anyone described as "a man of straw" by a native English speaker. People may make "strawman arguments" that lack substance (and are often made by those who lack substance), but I wouldn't be natural to say "man of straw" in any context I can think of.
clovermite•
I think they meant to say "straw man."
Saying "man of straw" is pretty much a guaranteed way to signal that you are not a native speaker. Perhaps there is some specific context where it make more sense to say "man of straw" rather than "straw man," but I can't think of it off the top of my head.
Callec254•
It's not a common phrase, but D makes the most sense.
A more common usage would be "strawman argument". Person A says something, and then person B intentionally misinterprets what they said into something else, and then attacks *that* argument instead of what Person A actually said.
joined_under_duress•
As a Brit I've not heard this before.
My chief worry is where this comes from? It reads like someone non-native saw "a strawman" used about arguments and misunderstood it completely as being literal abput the person arguing.
Reminds me of an English teacher in the 80s who taught an American book featuring a calico cat and asked her class to consider what it meant to have a stuffed toy cat treated as real. Was a few years layer I found out Americans called tortoiseshell and white cats 'calico'. (Obviously these days US cultural imperialism means we see such terms used iften here.)
RunningRampantly•
Never heard this in the USA. Is this a British thing?