lay figure

lay figure — noun

1. a wooden or plastic model of a human body, with movable joints at the shoulders,

1.nounC1
Definition

a wooden or plastic model of a human body, with movable joints at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, used by painters and sculptors to arrange fabric, clothing, or drapery so they can study how the folds and shadows will look in their finished work

Example

Esteban adjusted the lay figure's arms until the silk scarf draped across the shoulder.

drape [fabric] across [body part] on a lay figure

The artist arranged satin on a lay figure to study the light on each fold.

Common collocations
  • adjust a lay figure
  • pose a lay figure
  • drape cloth on a lay figure
  • wooden lay figure
  • jointed lay figure
Synonyms
  • mannequin

    broader term; can refer to a display dummy (not necessarily jointed or for artist's study)

  • model

    vague; general term for something used as a representation, not specific to jointed artist's tool

  • dummy

    informal; can refer to any human-shaped figure, not necessarily jointed or for drapery study

Usage Note

Distinguish from a mannequin (used for displaying finished clothes) — a lay figure is specifically a jointed studio tool for studying how fabric behaves on a body shape.

Common Mistakes

The tailor used a lay figure to display the finished suit in the shop window.
The tailor used a mannequin to display the finished suit in the shop window.
a mannequin is for display; a lay figure is an artist's studio tool for studying drapery.

2. a person who is so easily controlled or influenced by others that they are compa

2.nounC2
Definition

a person who is so easily controlled or influenced by others that they are compared to a puppet — someone who follows instructions without independent thought or will

Example

Opponents called the prime minister a mere lay figure for the corporate lobbyists.

mere lay figure for [group] — indicates the real power lies elsewhere

The elderly CEO had become a lay figure, nodding at decisions the board already made.

Common collocations
  • mere lay figure
  • nothing but a lay figure
  • reduced to a lay figure
  • lay figure for [group/institution]
Synonyms
  • puppet

    more common and direct; suggests someone is openly controlled by another person

  • figurehead

    suggests a person with a title but no real authority; slightly more neutral than 'lay figure'

  • pawn

    suggests being used as part of a larger game by others; emphasises expendability

Antonyms
  • leader

    someone who makes independent decisions and directs others

  • free agent

    someone who acts on their own will, not controlled by others

Usage Note

almost always used with qualifying language such as 'mere', 'nothing but', or 'reduced to being' to emphasise the contrast between appearance and real power. typically negative and critical in tone.

Common Mistakes

He is a lay figure in the organisation.
He is nothing more than a lay figure in the organisation.
the phrase usually needs a downtoner ('mere', 'nothing but') to make the figurative meaning clear.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words describe a person under someone else's control, but they differ in tone and scope. Puppet is the most direct and widely used — it implies a visible controller actively pulling strings, as in 'a puppet of the party leadership'. Figurehead is milder: the person holds a title or position but the real work is done by others, without necessarily implying active manipulation (e.g. 'the queen is a constitutional figurehead'). Pawn comes from chess and stresses that the person is expendable, used in a larger scheme they do not control. Stooge is more informal and comic, suggesting someone who is both controlled and foolish (e.g. 'the comedian's stooge kept tripping on cue'). Lay figure is the most literary of the group, carrying a tone of scorn — it compares the person to an artist's dummy, implying they are not just controlled but hollow and lifeless in their role.

puppet ↗figurehead ↗pawnstooge

Etymology

DutchEnglish

The term 'lay figure' entered English in the mid-1700s from the Dutch 'ledeman' (literally 'joint-man'), a compound of 'lid' meaning 'joint' or 'limb' and 'man' meaning 'person'. Dutch painters used jointed wooden figures to study how fabric folds and falls — a common studio tool in the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age of painting. When the word came into English, the unfamiliar Dutch 'lede-' was altered by folk etymology to 'lay' (as in 'to lay out' or 'to lay down a pose'), giving us 'lay figure'. By the early 1800s the term had also developed its figurative sense, describing a person who is as hollow and controllable as the wooden dummy.

First known use

1795

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1