--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The noun phrase straw man, now used as a…" description: "\"The noun phrase straw man, now used as a compound adjective as in 'straw-man device, technique or issue,' was popularized in American culture by 'The W..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/014/william-safire-5116_adjective_the-noun-phrase-straw-man-now-used-as-a_1883106.png" --- # The noun phrase straw man, now used as a compound… ![“The noun phrase straw man, now used as a compound adjective as in 'straw-man device, technique or issue,' was popularized in American culture by 'The Wizard of Oz.'” quote by William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/014/william-safire-5116_adjective_the-noun-phrase-straw-man-now-used-as-a_1883106.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/014/william-safire-5116_adjective_the-noun-phrase-straw-man-now-used-as-a_1883106.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/014/william-safire-5116_adjective_the-noun-phrase-straw-man-now-used-as-a_1883106.png) > “The noun phrase straw man, now used as a compound adjective as in 'straw-man device, technique or issue,' was popularized in American culture by 'The Wizard of Oz.'” [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The term “straw‑man” for a weak, easily defeated argument or device became common after the film’s use of a literal straw figure. **In simple terms:** “Straw‑man” means a weak, fake version of something. Key Takeaway Recognize and avoid creating weak arguments. Themes logic communication misinformation Mood cautious analytical Type educational critical When to use this quote - debates - advertising - policy discussions - teaching critical thinking Key Concepts argumentation cognitive bias rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever encounter straw‑man tactics? - How can you expose them constructively? A Different Perspective It can oversimplify complex issues, leading to misunderstanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) [Compound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compound/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Wizard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wizard/) [Wizard of oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wizard-of-oz/) ## Related quotes > [People often find it easier to refute a fake extreme opponent than a more cautious real one, so they knock down the straw man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madsen-pirie/people-often-find-it-easier-to-refute-a-fake-extreme-opponent-than-a/) Madsen Pirie > [“It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh, for you must sleep and eat and drink. 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They \[people\] set you up just to knock you over.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/calling-you-a-star-is-just-a-trick-it-s-like-a-straw-man-thing-they/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [Whenever we criticize ourselves, we compound the issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-bijou/whenever-we-criticize-ourselves-we-compound-the-issue/) [Jude Bijou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-bijou/) > [“I find the ass in compound with the major part of your syllables.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-find-the-ass-in-compound-with-the-major-part-of-your-syllables/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Good and evil both increase at compound interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-and-evil-both-increase-at-compound-interest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Having said that, I believe we must not compound the natural disaster of Katrina by creating a fiscal disaster in Congress - it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chocola/having-said-that-i-believe-we-must-not-compound-the-natural-disaster/) [Chris Chocola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chocola/) > [Wit is an explosion of the compound spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/wit-is-an-explosion-of-the-compound-spirit/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [I realize how quickly lies compound. They cover like a coat of paint, one on top of the other, until you cannot remember what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-realize-how-quickly-lies-compound-they-cover-like-a-coat-of-paint/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Your potentials contain local elements that can react with your passion to produce global compounds for the solution of the world’s problems. Go and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/your-potentials-contain-local-elements-that-can-react-with-your/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Take control of who you report to, what you do, what you create. Or start a business on the side. Deliver some value, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/take-control-of-who-you-report-to-what-you-do-what-you-create-or/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) ## More by William Safire > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Decide on some imperfect Somebody and you will win, because the truest truism in politics is: You can't beat Somebody with Nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/decide-on-some-imperfect-somebody-and-you-will-win-because-the-truest/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation, and is thus a source of civilized delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/knowing-how-things-work-is-the-basis-for-appreciation-and-is-thus-a/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [What a joy it is to see really professional media manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-a-joy-it-is-to-see-really-professional-media-manipulation/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-do-you-call-a-co-worker-these-days-neither-teammate-nor/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [This is what it's all about. From what I could see, you could get a bunch of people together, whip up the press and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/this-is-what-it-s-all-about-from-what-i-could-see-you-could-get-a/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [When I need to know the meaning of a word, I look it up in a dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/when-i-need-to-know-the-meaning-of-a-word-i-look-it-up-in-a-dictionary/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [A man who lies, thinking it is the truth, is an honest man, and a man who tells the truth, believing it to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/a-man-who-lies-thinking-it-is-the-truth-is-an-honest-man-and-a-man/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [The Latin motto over Poindexter's new Pentagon office reads Scientia Est Potentia - "knowledge is power." Exactly: the government's infinite knowledge about you is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-latin-motto-over-poindexter-s-new-pentagon-office-reads-scientia/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [English is a stretch language; one size fits all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/english-is-a-stretch-language-one-size-fits-all/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Today, war of necessity is used by critics of military action to describe unavoidable response to an attack like that on Pearl Harbor that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/today-war-of-necessity-is-used-by-critics-of-military-action-to/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [To communicate, put your words in order; give them a purpose; use them to persuade, to instruct, to discover, to seduce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/to-communicate-put-your-words-in-order-give-them-a-purpose-use-them/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [“Chandler’s “She was blonde enough to make a bishop kick a hole through a stained-glass window”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/chandler-s-she-was-blonde-enough-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-through/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [You don't overturn a previous court's decisions lightly and I think most Americans are somewhere in the middle on abortion and there's not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/you-don-t-overturn-a-previous-court-s-decisions-lightly-and-i-think/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) [Explore all 103 William Safire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) ## More Adjective quotes > [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) > [I'm showbiz-fat. It's so funny, in all the reviews that I read, no one wants to use the word 'fat' as an adjective. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-jaret-winokur/i-m-showbiz-fat-it-s-so-funny-in-all-the-reviews-that-i-read-no-one/) [Marissa Jaret Winokur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-jaret-winokur/) > [“The book was sloppily written in many parts (the words came too quickly and too easily) and there was hardly a noun in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/the-book-was-sloppily-written-in-many-parts-the-words-came-too/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/christian-is-a-great-noun-and-a-poor-adjective/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The adjective is the banana peel of the parts of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/the-adjective-is-the-banana-peel-of-the-parts-of-speech/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Single \|sin-gle\| (adjective) - Too fabulous to settle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/single-sin-gle-adjective-too-fabulous-to-settle/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [How can an adjective in front of a noun not describe the noun? There are dwarf stars, but they're still considered stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/how-can-an-adjective-in-front-of-a-noun-not-describe-the-noun-there/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [A movie is a movie is a movie. But it has to have an adjective in front of it if it's not a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/a-movie-is-a-movie-is-a-movie-but-it-has-to-have-an-adjective-in/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [“Person, Place, Thing (Noun); Describes Action (Verb); Modifies Nouns (Adjective); Answers the W Questions (Adverb); Joins Words Together (Conjunction); Things We Say When We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/person-place-thing-noun-describes-action-verb-modifies-nouns/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/the-adjective-hasn-t-been-built-that-can-pull-a-weak-or-inaccurate/) [William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/) > [My goal in life is to become an adjective,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/my-goal-in-life-is-to-become-an-adjective/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [An adjective, such as 'flimsy,' describes someone's access to a thing, such as 'argument.' But that's just that someone's access. It may be accurate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-morton/an-adjective-such-as-flimsy-describes-someone-s-access-to-a-thing/) [Timothy Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-morton/) > [Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm - while the less powerful get an adjective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-and-the-norm-while-the-less/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I miss the Stella girls telling me what I am. 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