Both Uses of
figurehead
in
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
- Always she waited, her eyes straining to make out the figure on the prow, and always, at the sight of those strange, glistening white figureheads, her heart sank.†
p. 246.7 *
- Nat and the redheaded seaman who had painted the Dolphin's figurehead that morning on the river were cheerfully exchanging insults with a cluster of young bound boys who had stopped to enjoy the spectacle, the two culprits holding their own in an unchastened manner that delighted the onlookers.†
p. 166.7
Definitions:
-
(1)
(figurehead as in: she is just a figurehead) a person who appears to be the leader of an organization, but who really has no power
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Figurehead in this sense is a metaphor from figurehead in the sense of an often human figure that may be placed on the bow of a sailing vessel.