Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

stool pigeon

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.26 in modern English

Syllables
stool pi-geon
IPA
14
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A pigeon tied to a stool by a piece of twine, used as a decoy to entice free-flying birds to the ground to be shot or trapped.

noun

A decoy used in a crooked gambling game.

Obsolete; Slang

noun

An informer to the authorities, especially one who gives up criminal associates.

Slang

Etymology

From the act of tying or even nailing a pigeon to a stool to act as a decoy by hunters. Alternatively, from an alteration of stale (“decoy”) + pigeon.

Usage

Inflected Forms

stool pigeons (plural)

Synonyms

stoolie stooly abaddon accuser beefer bewrayer bigmouth blabber blabtale blabtongue canary CI

Questions

What does stool pigeon mean?
A pigeon tied to a stool by a piece of twine, used as a decoy to entice free-flying birds to the ground to be shot or trapped.
Where does stool pigeon come from?
From the act of tying or even nailing a pigeon to a stool to act as a decoy by hunters. Alternatively, from an alteration of stale (“decoy”) + pigeon.

How to pronounce stool pigeon

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “stool pigeon”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “stool pigeon” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.