straw man

/strɔ mæn/

If you deliberately use a fake issue to argue against because it's easier to prove wrong than the real issue would be, you're using a straw man. By attacking a straw man, you make it look like you've successfully defeated your opponent's argument.

People use a straw man when they want to appear to have won an argument. A classic straw man might consist of your brother saying, "Cats are great," and you countering with, "Cats aren't better than dogs, because there are no seeing eye cats." Your brother wasn't actually saying that cats are the best animal, but you changed his argument to make it seem that way so you could win the debate.

Definitions of straw man

1. noun

   a weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted
   synonyms: strawman

   type of:

   specious argument

   an argument that appears good at first view but is really fallacious
2. noun

   a person used as a cover for some questionable activity
   synonyms: figurehead, front, front man, nominal head, strawman

   type of:

   beguiler, cheat, cheater, deceiver, slicker, trickster

   someone who leads you to believe something that is not true
3. noun

   an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
   synonyms: bird-scarer, scarecrow, scarer, strawman

   type of:

   effigy, image, simulacrum

   a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture)