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What is "point man"

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
point man
noun
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Brown was the point man for Clinton's technology policies.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ His point man was his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger.
▪ The point man had stepped on an antitank mine.
▪ Well, we went about 100 yards or so, and the point man from the other squad hit a booby trap.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Point man

Point man \Point" man`\, n.; pl. -men (-men).

  1. (Mil.) the lead soldier in a foot patrol under combat conditions.

  2. a person who takes a conspicuous public position in proposing a new idea or initiating a new policy, who may become a target of criticism for those opposed. ``The Secretary of State served as point man for the administration's new China policy.''

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
point man

"one who leads a military patrol in formation in a jungle, etc.," 1944, from point (n.) in military sense of "small leading party of an advance guard" (1580s) + man (n.).

WordNet
point man

  1. n. someone who is the forefront of an important enterprise; "he is the president's point man on economic issues"

  2. a soldier who goes ahead of a patrol

Usage examples of "point man".

From the time the point man entered the living room, less than an hour had elapsed.

The two of them were covering the right flank of the company, slightly out of line with the point man and fifty meters back.