escape goat
Runaway mountain animal
Escape goat is a common mishearing of scapegoat—someone blamed for others' faults.
The error reimagines the biblical goat symbolically carrying away sins as one that literally escapes.
While widely recognized as a mistake, some use it playfully: I'm not going to be your escape goat this time.
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
- eggcornMisheard phrase that persists
- fall guyOne blamed for others
- whipping boyDesignated recipient of punishment
- throw under the busBetray for self-preservation
take the blame · shift the blame · malapropism · sacrifice · accuse · fault · pariah · social outcast · mishearing · victim · easy target · projection · group dynamics · societal pressure · substitute · burden · innocence · expiation
blame attribution
escape goatguilty party
One held responsible
mastermind · ringleader · instigator · sacred cow · untouchable
scapegoat, scape, goat, goats, goatee, escape, escaped, escaping, escapee