whipping boy
whipping boy
noun
1.
a person who is made to bear the blame for another's mistake; scapegoat.
2.
(formerly) a boy educated along with and taking punishment in place of a young prince or nobleman.
Origin:
1640–50
1640–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
| whipping boy | |
| —n | |
| a person of little importance who is blamed for the errors, incompetence, etc, of others, esp his superiors; scapegoat | |
| [C17: originally referring to a boy who was educated with a prince and who received punishment for any faults committed by the prince] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Whipping Boy
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
whipping boy
A scapegoat, as in This department's always been the whipping boy when things don't go well. This expression alludes to the former practice of keeping a boy to be whipped in place of a prince who was to be punished. [Early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
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