lay figure

noun

1

: a jointed model of the human body used by artists to show the disposition of drapery

2

: a person so compliant as to be likened to a puppet

Synonyms

• cat's-paw
• instrument
• pawn
• puppet
• tool

Examples of lay figure in a Sentence

the novel's characters are not fully fleshed humans, but are simply lay figures strutted out to serve as mouthpieces for conflicting points of view

Word History

Etymology

obsolete English layman lay figure, from Dutch leeman

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1