| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 843.1 | loss leader | MARVIN::KNOWLES | Per ardua ad nauseam | Thu Nov 29 1990 13:46 | 6 |
| A stalking horse is a cheap victim, sacrificed to lure a more valuable
prize into a more vulnerable position. The expression comes from
hunting - tho' I'm not sure what sort; probably big game hunting
(India - British Empire days I'd guess).
b
|
| 843.2 | It's Deja Vu All Over Again. | SKIVT::ROGERS | Salvandorum paucitus. | Thu Nov 29 1990 14:17 | 14 |
| Webster's New Collegiate says that a stalking-horse is:
1. A horse or figure like a horse behind which a hunter stalks
game. 2. Something used to mask a purpose. 3. A candidate put
forward to divide the opposition or to conceal someone's real
candidacy.
Presumably Mr. Heseltine is being referred to in the third sense of the
definition.
(See topic 679, for a further discussion of Stalking Horses, Straw Men, and
Straw Horses.)
Larry
|
| 843.3 | when you don't have an elephant gun handy | TLE::RANDALL | Bonnie Randall Schutzman | Thu Nov 29 1990 15:52 | 11 |
| The original stalking horse was a horse tied out to graze in a
place where large dangerous carnivorous animals will catch the
horse's scent and come for dinner. Concealed hunters can then
kill the large dangerous carnivore with less danger to themselves.
I was under the impression that it originated in Africa in the
days before firearms as a technique for trapping old, dangerous
lions that had started eating people. But I'm far from positive
on that.
--bonnie
|
| 843.4 | | VOGON::BALL | Maggie, Maggie, Maggie *IS* out, out, out... | Thu Nov 29 1990 16:00 | 13 |
| I've read a fuller explanation of its original hunting derivation in one of the
half dozen conferences which have been discussing the Tory Leadership election
and the aftermath thereof.
Apparently, the hunters used to leave a horse in a position where it would be
visible to the pray, so that if the animal heard the hunters clumping about in
the undergrowth, snapping twigs and so on, it would assume these noises were
being made by the horse and so would not scarper.
Hence, a political stalking horse (Heseltine) declares early and provides cover
for the hunter (Major) to shoot his intended victim (Thatcher).
Jon
|
| 843.5 | | HEART::MACHIN | | Thu Nov 29 1990 17:34 | 2 |
|
-- and Douglas Hurd was a twig that got snapped underfoot.
|
| 843.6 | Thanks | CHEST::ELLIOT | | Fri Nov 30 1990 17:38 | 8 |
|
Thanks, all, my mind is now at rest!
(Re the last, love it) :-) :-)
Cheers,
June.
|