in effigy
Symbolically; publicly in the form of an effigy. (Typically used with the verbs "burn" or "hang.") In protest of the war, a large group has set about burning the president in effigy outside the White House. If people are hanging the prime minister in effigy in the streets, we need to ramp up his security even more. A: "Sir, they're burning you in effigy." B: "Good! I'd rather be feared than loved anyway."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in effigy
Symbolically. For example, That umpire was completely unfair-let's burn him in effigy. Now used only figuratively, this term formerly signified a way of carrying out the sentence of a criminal who had escaped, such as burn in effigy or hang in effigy. A dummy was made of the criminal or a detested political figure and subjected to the prescribed punishment. [c. 1600]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
in effigy
Symbolically, especially in the form of an effigy: The deposed dictator was burned in effigy by the crowd.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.