What or who is a straw boss?

unterkircher

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5811045_define-straw-boss.html The term straw boss comes from the Industrial revolution times and refers to someone who was an assistant to the head boss, but ordered workers about as if he was the top person in charge. Another idea is that a straw boss was a mill worker who supervised the workers who took the straw out of the thresher. It can be used in a negative way to refer to a mean, arrogant boss. May 17 11, 1:41 PM

Baloo55th

I would reckon more likely is that the straw boss was being compared to a straw stuffed figure. No real power of his own, but set up to look impressive. You don't thresh in mills - before threshing machines it was done on a threshing floor. The threshing machine ejects the straw, often as a nice neat pile in the field. The mill was for grinding the grain - after the threshing was done somewhere else. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threshing_machine May 18 11, 4:43 PM