Decoy

Carved wooden duck decoys

A decoy (derived from the Dutch de kooi, literally "the cage"[1] or possibly ende kooi, "duck cage"[2]) is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lure them. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.

Illustration demonstrating the use of a dog in a duck decoy tunnel (1886)
  1. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021). Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0192639370.
  2. ^ Wedgwood, Hensleigh (1855). "On False Etymologies". Transactions of the Philological Society (6): 71.