fall guy
n.
Slang
A scapegoat. A gullible victim; a dupe.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
fall guy
- n.
a victim; a dupe; the guy who takes the fall. (Originally underworld.) : I didn't want to be the fall guy, so I sat out the last job.
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Idioms & Phrases
fall guy
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A scapegoat, one who is blamed for the actions of others. For example, He refused to be the fall guy for his colleagues. This expression uses fall in the sense of "consequences" or "blame," which originated in prison slang. [Slang; early 1900s] Also see take the fall.
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An easy victim, one who is readily duped. For example, His friends had marked him as the fall guy
they knew he would believe their ruse. [Slang; early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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