A field decoy for scaring birds, with figurative uses for empty threats, gaunt or ragged people, and rare literary descriptions of stiff, splayed shapes.
A person, object, or warning that looks threatening but has little real power to harm.
Examples
The threat proved to be a scarecrow once no one enforced it.
Opponents called the warning a scarecrow meant to silence debate.
That old rumor is a scarecrow, frightening at first but harmless up close.
The locked gate became a scarecrow for trespassers, though it was never checked.
The lawsuit was little more than a scarecrow.
He used the budget crisis as a political scarecrow.
Similar words
bogeyman
paper tiger
empty threat
false alarm
phantom danger
bogey
bluff
deterrent
Thin or ragged person
noun
appearance
informal
A very thin, poorly dressed, or untidy-looking person, usually described in an insulting or pitying way.
Examples
After weeks on the road, he came home looking like a scarecrow.
The coat hung from the thin scarecrow of a man.
She called herself a scarecrow when the costume swallowed her frame.
The portrait shows a ragged scarecrow with hollow cheeks.
The exhausted hikers looked like scarecrows by sunset.
Do not call someone a scarecrow unless the insult is intended.
Similar words
ragamuffin
skinny person
scruff
waif
bag of bones
thin person
unkempt person
gaunt person
Make something look stiff or splayed
verb
literature
literary
To make a body, limb, garment, or shape look stiff, awkward, spread out, or gaunt like a scarecrow.
Examples
The cold wind scarecrowed his hair into wild tufts.
He scarecrowed his arms to keep his balance.
The oversized coat scarecrowed her small frame.
Branches scarecrowed over the empty lawn.
The costume scarecrows the actor's posture.
The dancer froze with his elbows scarecrowed outward.
Similar words
splay
stiffen
sprawl
make awkward
make gaunt
stick out
jut
distort
Etymology
Formed in English from scare and crow. It is recorded from the mid-1500s, first for people or devices used to frighten birds, then for straw figures, harmless terrors, and gaunt-looking people.
FAQ
What is a scarecrow?
A scarecrow is a human-shaped figure put in a field or garden to frighten birds away from seeds and crops.
Can scarecrow mean a person?
Yes. It can describe a very thin, ragged, or untidy-looking person, usually as an insult or a sharp comparison.
What does scarecrow mean figuratively?
It can mean something that seems frightening but is actually weak, harmless, or empty.
Is scarecrow a verb?
Rarely. Literary writing can use scarecrow to mean making something look stiff, splayed, awkward, or gaunt.
What is the plural of scarecrow?
The plural is scarecrows.
Where does scarecrow come from?
It is formed from scare and crow, because the original idea was to frighten crows and other birds away from crops.
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