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stool pigeon

noun

Etymology

From the act of tying or even nailing a pigeon to a stool to act as a decoy by hunters. Alternatively, from an alteration of stale (“decoy”) + pigeon.

  1. derived from pipio
  2. derived from pipio
  3. derived from pyjon
  4. inherited from pygeoun
  5. compounded as stool pigeon — “stale + pigeon”

Definitions

  1. A pigeon tied to a stool by a piece of twine, used as a decoy to entice free-flying birds…

    A pigeon tied to a stool by a piece of twine, used as a decoy to entice free-flying birds to the ground to be shot or trapped.

  2. A decoy used in a crooked gambling game.

  3. An informer to the authorities, especially one who gives up criminal associates.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for stool pigeon. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA