pawn
pawn1 / pôn/ • n. a chess piece of the smallest size and value. A pawn moves one square forward along its file if unobstructed (or two on the first move), or one square diagonally forward when making a capture. Each player begins with eight pawns on the second rank, and can promote a pawn to become any other piece (typically a queen) if it reaches the opponent's end of the board. ∎ a person used by others for their own purposes: they had allowed themselves to be used as pawns within the Cold War.pawn2 • v. [tr.] deposit (an object) with a pawnbroker as security for money lent: I pawned the necklace to cover the loan.• n. archaic an object left as security for money lent.PHRASES: in pawn (of an object) held as security by a pawnbroker: all our money was gone and everything was in pawn.PHRASAL VERBS: pawn someone/something off pass off someone or something unwanted: newly industrialized economies are racing to pawn off old processes on poorer countries.