men of straw. Hist. False witnesses who wandered around courts and were paid to give untrue testimony. • They stuffed straw into their shoes so that advocates could recognize them. See STRAW MAN(4).
men of straw (1)职业证人 早期逡巡于法庭周围者,之所以称这些人为稻草人是因为他们在一只鞋上插上稻草,以显示其职业。如果律师需要一个合适的证人,借助于这些特征即可知道何处可以找到,双方对话很简单,律师问「你不记得了吗 (2)」,对方即回答「我当然记得。」「那就到法庭上去作证吧。」然后该人即到法庭去作证。雅典盛行这种证人。 (3)傀儡;不负责任的保证人(→straw man)