decoy

decoy n

see coy, n.

1. Surprise; lure; snare; bait; anything that leads into an evil place.

decoy [-ed, -ing, -s] v

see coy, n.

1. Enchant; [with “spring” as subject] capture attention with bird song; [with “Bird” as subject] break forth into song; [word play on “coy”] abandon shyness; stop being coy.
2. Ensnare; [fig.] allure; captivate; [word order inversion] “In the afternoons, her teazing purples decoy the credulous.”
3. Catch; entrap; lure by artifice into a trap; [fig.] delay; detour; distract.