shoot the messenger
Punish news bringer
To shoot the messenger is to blame or punish the person who delivers bad news rather than addressing the news itself.
The phrase warns against misdirected anger: Don't shoot the messenger—I'm just telling you what the boss said.
It reflects the ancient tendency to punish bearers of unwelcome tidings.
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
- put the blame onAttribute fault to another
- scapegoatUnfairly blamed person
- easy targetVulnerable person or thing
- point the finger atAssign blame to someone
lay blame · shift the blame · take it out on · proverb · expression · misplaced · idiom · defensiveness · avoidance · deflection · saying · misinterpretation · herald · victimization · kill · denial · misjudgment · anger