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• n  a person used as a cover for some questionable activity
• n  figure on the bow of some sailing vessels

• Pious Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek, Man of 1937, was forced to retreat to a "New" West China, where he faced the possibility of becoming only a respectable figurehead .
• Tapping the disgruntled ex-Emperor as figurehead ruler, the Japanese promised him a kingdom to match his royal breeding.
• Princess Grace of Monaco was perhaps the nearest thing, but then she had really been a movie star, which surely provided the vital luster to her role as figurehead of a country .

• front man
• front
• nominal head
• straw man
• strawman

News & Articles

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• Jason Varitek Proving to Be Valuable Tool in Scouting, Catcher Development (Video)
  “Special assistant” jobs are often figurehead positions in major league front offices, but the role that Jason Varitek has taken on with the Red Sox is anything but. The longtime Boston catcher and captain has played a large part in not only working with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and David Ross, but also in identifying young talent. […]
  June 6, 2013 - New England Sports Network

Quotes

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• Donald Trump in Philadelphia Daily News
  Trump added, "Barbara has become a sad figurehead dominated by a third-rate comedian, and I now wish she had not recently chosen me as one of the 10 Most Fascinating People."
• Sol Campbell in AFP
  Neil impresses me. He's come into the job late in the season and that's never easy. But he's done fantastically well,Campbell said. "Neil told me he's looking for me to be a figurehead in the team. He's made it clear he's looking for more...
• Henry Waxman in FOXNews
  You have essentially become a figurehead,Waxman told Johnson.