Dictionary

wirepuller en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

From wire + puller, suggesting the operator of a puppet; compare pull strings.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, informal) A person who exercises an influence on others that is felt but not seen.
   • […] there lies, alas, the tragedy of the millions of lives immolated by the ignorant peoples as the price paid for the deception practised upon them by the Imperialistic wirepullers. 1919, Foreign Affairs: A Monthly Digest and Interpretation:
   • 'Filled with old doddering peers, cute financial magnates, clever wirepullers, big brewers with bulbous noses. All the enemies of progress are there — weaklings, sleek, slug, comfortable, self-important individuals. 1908, Winston Churchill, Letter to his fianceé Clementine:
2. Synonym of snake (“tool for pulling cables”).

Forms

Synonyms

snake