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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Stalking-horse

Stalking-horse \Stalk"ing-horse`\ (st[add]k"[i^]ng-h[^o]rs`), n.

  1. A horse, or a figure resembling a horse, behind which a hunter conceals himself from the game he is aiming to kill.

  2. Fig.: Something used to cover up a secret project; a mask; a pretense.

    Hypocrisy is the devil's stalking-horse under an affectation of simplicity and religion.
    --L'Estrange.

    How much more abominable is it to make of him [Christ] and religion a stalking-horse, to get and enjoy the world!
    --Bunyan.

Wiktionary
stalking-horse

n. (alternative form of stalking horse English)

WordNet
stalking-horse
  1. n. a candidate put forward to divide the opposition or to mask the true candidate

  2. something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason [syn: pretext]

  3. screen consisting of a figure of a horse behind which a hunter hides while stalking game

  4. a horse behind which a hunter hides while stalking game

Usage examples of "stalking-horse".

The implementation details are not currently accessible to us, but we believe this is a stalking-horse for requiring chip manufacturers to incorporate on-die FPGAs in the one million gate range, re-configurable in software, initially laid out as DRM circuitry but reprogrammable in support of their nascent War on Un-Americanism.