whipping boy

American  

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.

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whipping boy British  

noun

1. a person of little importance who is blamed for the errors, incompetence, etc, of others, esp his superiors; scapegoat

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whipping boy Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of whipping boy

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

Denmark, the top of the table thrusters, being held by Belarus, the bottom of the table whipping boys?

From BBC

In a tough financial climate post-Covid, Newcastle have been the whipping boys of the Premiership in recent seasons.

From BBC

It was a solid game and I wanted to show a bit of love to Leicester because they've been the whipping boys all season.

From BBC

Alluding to Hunter’s journey from lawyer to lobbyist to full-fledged crack addict to right-wing whipping boy, Berges concluded that “Hunter Biden’s story was the American story.”

From Los Angeles Times

As creators and consumers, educators and entertainers, whipping boys, final girls, sidekicks and suicides, queer people have, often invisibly, sometimes tragically, always forcefully shaped American culture, particularly through the prism of Hollywood.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fall guy
• patsy
• scapegoat