Straw Boss

Hay is dried grass, sometimes with a little alfalfa or timothy thrown in, used as feed for horses and cattle.  Straw, on the other hand, is the stalks of wheat or other grains left over after harvesting the good parts, and is used primarily for livestock bedding.  Since straw is a by-product of the real business of a farm, "straw boss" is not the "big boss" of any job, but rather an assistant or subordinate boss, usually on the level of the foreman of a work crew.   It is now a metaphor for any low-level supervisor.  Since straw bosses rarely wield any real power aside from the ability to make those under them miserable, "straw boss" today is often a synonym for a petty and vindictive superior.  

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The caricature carving 'Straw Boss' by Phil Bishop captures the full meaning of this phrase.

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.Straw Boss

designed

and

carved

by

Phil Bishop  

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Bishop Collectables
1123 West 6th Street
Elk City, OK 73644
(580) 225-3109
http://www.bishopwoodcarving.com/  

Phil Bishop and his wife Vicki are full time woodcarving instructors.  

He is self taught in drawing and painting and learned to carve from books.