lay figures

plural of lay figure
as in tools
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another the novel's characters are not fully fleshed humans, but are simply lay figures strutted out to serve as mouthpieces for conflicting points of view

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay figures
Noun
  • And Alibaba has ordered its employees to stop using Anthropic tools for work starting July 10, CNBC confirmed on Monday.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 July 2026
  • For those who want to forgo the use of tools, this heatless style only uses four braids.
    Odeya Pinkus, InStyle, 8 July 2026
Noun
  • Gulf governments, meanwhile, have dabbled abroad as well, while trying to address grievances among their own Shia populations to prevent them from becoming pawns of Tehran.
    Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
  • The organization is treating these athletes as political pawns instead of as young people with their own families, goals, futures and careers to think about.
    Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
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“Lay figures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20figures. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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