Drahtzieher

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German

Etymology

From Draht (wire) +‎ ziehen (to pull) +‎ -er, literally wire puller.

Pronunciation

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Noun

Drahtzieher m (strong, genitive Drahtziehers, plural Drahtzieher, feminine Drahtzieherin)

  1. (idiomatic) string puller, puppet master, mastermind, svengali
    Synonyms: Dunkelmann, Hintermann, Strippenzieher
    • 2010, Der Spiegel, number 46/2010, page 118:
      In Wien wird der Prozess wegen des Mordes an einem Exil-Tschetschenen eröffnet. Spuren der Drahtzieher führen auch nach Deutschland.
      In Vienna, a court case is opened because of murder of an exile Chechen. Tracks of the string pullers also lead to Germany.

Usage notes

  • Drahtzieher is used especially in the context of organised crime and terrorism, while Strippenzieher is preferred in other cases, where the actions may be legal, or illegal in a vaguer fashion.

Declension

Further reading