take the fall
Shoulder another's guilt
To take the fall is to accept blame or punishment for something, especially when others share responsibility or are actually guilty.
The phrase comes from criminal slang, where someone might take the fall to protect accomplices: He took the fall for the robbery while his partners walked free.
More broadly, it describes anyone who becomes the scapegoat: When the project collapsed, the junior manager took the fall.
Easily deceived victim
- sacrificial lambOne offered for others' benefit
- whipping boyDesignated recipient of punishment
- stoogeEasily manipulated pawn
- pawnUnwitting tool of another
victim · dupe · framed · expendable · mark · sucker · chump · scapegoat
Deserving of blame
- guiltyResponsible for wrongdoing
- accusedCharged with wrongdoing
- responsibilityState of being answerable
- faultImperfection or blame
punishment · penalty · confess · admit · liable · prosecution · indictment · conviction
patsy
Easily deceived victim
- sacrificial lambOne offered for others' benefit
- whipping boyDesignated recipient of punishment
- stoogeEasily manipulated pawn
pawn · victim · dupe · framed · expendable · mark · sucker · chump · scapegoat · decoy
culpable
Deserving of blame
- guiltyResponsible for wrongdoing
- accusedCharged with wrongdoing
- responsibilityState of being answerable
fault · punishment · penalty · confess · admit · liable · prosecution · indictment · conviction · sentence
- secrecysecrecy, secret, secrets, confidential, classified
- accountabilityaccountability, responsibility, accountable, answerability, responsible
take the fallshift the blame
pass the buck · point the finger · cover one's tracks · walk away clean · weasel out
fall, take, taken, taking, downfall, overtake, takes, undertake, retake