A similar figure moved by the hand or by a wire in a mock drama; a marionette; a wooden actor in a play. "At the pipes of some carved organ move, The gilded puppets dance."
3.
One controlled in his action by the will of another; a tool; so used in contempt.
4.
(Mach.) The upright support for the bearing of the spindle in a lathe.
Puppet player, one who manages the motions of puppets.
Puppet show, a mock drama performed by puppets moved by wires.
Puppet valve, a valve in the form of a circular disk, which covers a hole in its seat, and opens by moving bodily away from the seat while remaining parallel with it, used in steam engines, pumps, safety valves, etc. Its edge is often beveled, and fits in a conical recess in the seat when the valve is closed.
... later. Goethe constructed his masterpiece largely by its help. English actors travelling abroad had brought back the story to its native land of Germany, and in every town the bands of strolling players sent Marlowe's great conception far and wide. In England also the puppet play was extremely popular. The drama had moved from the church to the market-place, and much of the Elizabethan drama appeared in this quaint form, played by wooden figures upon diminutive boards. To the modern mind nothing could be more incongruous than the idea of a solemn drama forced ... — Among Famous Books • John Kelman
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