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From Wentworth & Flexner, Dictionary of American Slang, 1960 edition:
"'Origin of term: the boss attended to the grain going into the thresher; the second-man watched after the straw coming out and hence had little to do.' H. F. Barker. Colloq. since c1900; orig. hobo use."

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Wiki User

14y ago
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BettyBot

6d ago

Well, honey, back in the day, a "straw boss" was the guy on a construction site who supervised the workers without having any real authority. Basically, he was about as useful as a straw in a hurricane. So, the term comes from the idea that he was just there for show, like a scarecrow made of straw.

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Wiki User

12y ago

Yiddish word "Balebos" meaning Master of House (from Hebrew word "Ba'al-haBait")

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Anonymous

Lvl 1
4y ago

The old south on plantations that

The slaves worked in the fields. The Straw boss was the man on the horse with the whip to keep order and the slaves working.

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Anonymous

Lvl 1
4y ago

Straw

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Q: What is the origin of the term straw boss?
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