whipping boy

noun
UK: /ˈwɪpɪŋ bɔɪ/
US: /ˈwɪpɪŋ bɔɪ/

  1. A person who is blamed or punished for the mistakes or bad deeds of others.

    1. The intern became the whipping boy for the project's failure.
    2. In the corporate world, junior analysts often become the whipping boy when deals go south.

  2. Someone who takes the blame for something that went wrong, even if it wasn't their fault.

    1. The new employee was unfairly made the whipping boy for the department's low morale.
    2. After the team's loss, the coach felt like the whipping boy for the angry fans and management.

Synonyms

fall guy dupe patsy victim scapegoat

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "whipping boy" in English means: A person who is blamed or punished for the mistakes or bad deeds of others., Someone who takes the blame for something that went wrong, even if it wasn't their fault..

The phonetic transcription of "whipping boy" is /ˈwɪpɪŋ bɔɪ/ in British English and /ˈwɪpɪŋ bɔɪ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "whipping boy": fall guy, dupe, patsy, victim, scapegoat.

Example usage of "whipping boy": "The intern became the whipping boy for the project's failure.". More examples on the page.