what is an effigy

An effigy is a representation or image, especially sculptured, as on a monument. It can also refer to a crude figure representing a hated person, used for purposes of ridicule. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain traditions around New Year, Carnival, and Easter. Effigies have also been used historically for punishment in formal justice, social shaming, and exclusion. Additionally, in the field of numismatics, effigy describes the portrait on the obverse of a coin.