| Noun | 1. | stalking-horse - a candidate put forward to divide the opposition or to mask the true candidate | |
| 2. | stalking-horse - something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reasonputoff - a pretext for delay or inaction | |
| 3. | stalking-horse - screen consisting of a figure of a horse behind which a hunter hides while stalking gamecover, covert, concealment, screen - a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something; "they crouched behind the screen"; "under cover of darkness" | |
| 4. | stalking-horse - a horse behind which a hunter hides while stalking gameEquus caballus, horse - solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times | |