fall-guys
Designated blame recipients
Fall-guys are people who take the blame for others, especially when set up to do so.
A fall guy absorbs responsibility—sometimes knowingly, sometimes not—so that the truly culpable can escape consequences: The accountant was just a fall guy for the executives who ordered the fraud.
The term suggests both scapegoating and expendability.
Scapegoats or easy victims
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
- frameSupporting outer structure
- setupHow something is arranged
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
dupes · cover · conspiracy · innocent · accused · framed · designated · expendable
patsies
Scapegoats or easy victims
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
- frameSupporting outer structure
- setupHow something is arranged
sacrifice · dupes · cover · conspiracy · innocent · accused · framed · designated · expendable · convenient
battle-royale
All-against-all elimination contest
- jellybeanSugar-coated oval confection
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
- minigamesSmall embedded game segments
crowns · kudos · costumes · skins · rounds · qualifying · squad · stumble · ragdoll · physics
stuntmen
Professional film daredevils
- pratfallsStaged comedic falls
- slapstickExaggerated physical humor
- tumblingAcrobatic rolling and flipping
trips · slips · gags · clowns · buffoons · stunts · knockabouts · acrobatics · mishaps · timing
fall-guysmasterminds
Plans and directs schemes
ringleaders · untouchables · architects · orchestrators · puppet masters
fall-guyspuppet masters
Controllers of others' actions
power brokers · decision-makers · principals · handlers · beneficiaries
fall, guy, falls, fell, fallen, falling, faller, guys, guyed