stalking-horse love

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Something used to cover one's true purpose; a decoy.
  • noun A sham candidate put forward to conceal the candidacy of another or to divide the opposition.
  • noun A horse trained to conceal the hunter while stalking.
  • noun A canvas screen made in the figure of a horse, used for similar concealment.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A horse, or a horse-like figure, behind which a fowler conceals himself on approaching game.
  • noun Hence Anything put forward to conceal a more important object; a mask; a pretense.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A horse, or a figure resembling a horse, behind which a hunter conceals himself from the game he is aiming to kill.
  • noun Something used to cover up a secret project; a mask; a pretense.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a horse behind which a hunter hides while stalking game
  • noun a candidate put forward to divide the Opposition or to mask the true candidate
  • noun screen consisting of a figure of a horse behind which a hunter hides while stalking game
  • noun something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Dish had been competing with a group of distressed-debt investors holding TerreStar's bonds to be the so-called "stalking-horse bidder" in the auction that would set an opening bid others must top.

    TerreStar Picks Dish to Open Bidding Mike Spector 2011

  • Dish had been competing with a group of distressed-debt investors holding TerreStar's bonds to be the so-called "stalking-horse bidder" in the auction that would set an opening bid others must top.

    TerreStar Picks Dish to Open Bidding Mike Spector 2011

  • Borders hopes to soon select one of the suitors as a so-called stalking-horse bidder that would make an offer others must top in the bankruptcy auction, this person said.

    Borders in Talks With Najafi Cos. Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg 2011

  • But Borders late Wednesday pivoted to naming the liquidators as the so-called "stalking-horse" bidder after creditors had objected to Mr. Najafi's bid.

    Borders' Fate Hangs in Balance Mike Spector 2011

  • Borders hopes to soon select one of the suitors as a so-called stalking-horse bidder that would make an offer others must top in the bankruptcy auction, this person said.

    Borders in Talks With Najafi Cos. Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg 2011

  • Both are in talks to become a so-called "stalking-horse" bidder that would make an opening offer others must top in a looming bankruptcy-court auction.

    TerreStar Bidders Circle Mike Spector 2011

  • The Monarch-led group, also Blockbuster bondholders, offered $290 million for the movie-rental chain in February, a so-called stalking-horse bid that others had to top to win the company.

    Dish Network Wins Blockbuster Mike Spector 2011

  • The Monarch-led group, also Blockbuster bondholders, offered $290 million for the movie-rental chain in February, a so-called stalking-horse bid that others had to top to win the company.

    Groups Jockey for Blockbuster Mike Spector 2011

  • To capture the opening bid, or so-called stalking-horse spot, Phoenix investor Jahm Najafi 's firm beat out another private-equity investor, Alec Gores .

    Opening Bidder Picked for Borders Auction Dennis K. Berman 2011

  • Both are in talks to become a so-called "stalking-horse" bidder that would make an opening offer others must top in a looming bankruptcy-court auction.

    TerreStar Bidders Circle Mike Spector 2011

Comments

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  • Ernest took lessons in talking coarse
    Until he could swear with shocking force.
    It was one of his ploys
    To seem one of the boys.
    Profanity was his stalking-horse.

    June 23, 2014

  • Find out more about Ernest Bafflewit.

    June 23, 2014

  • (noun) - A horse, real or fictitious, by which a fowler screens himself from . . . game.

    --James Halliwell's Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, 1855

    January 16, 2018