wirepuller

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Wirepuller

English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From wire +‎ puller, suggesting the operator of a puppet; compare pull strings.

Noun

[edit]

wirepuller (plural wirepullers)

  1. A person who exercises an influence on others that is felt but not seen.
    • 1908, Winston Churchill, Letter to his fianceé Clementine:
      'Filled with old doddering peers, cute financial magnates, clever wirepullers, big brewers with bulbous noses. All the enemies of progress are there — weaklings, sleek, slug, comfortable, self-important individuals.
    • 1919, Foreign Affairs: A Monthly Digest and Interpretation:
      [] there lies, alas, the tragedy of the millions of lives immolated by the ignorant peoples as the price paid for the deception practised upon them by the Imperialistic wirepullers.