whipping boy
Someone always faulted
A whipping boy was historically a boy raised alongside a prince and punished in his place, since striking royalty was forbidden.
The term now means someone who bears blame or punishment for others' mistakes: The new hire became the whipping boy for everything that went wrong.
The scapegoat sense dominates modern usage.
Assign responsibility for wrongdoing
- fall guyOne blamed for others
- patsyEasily deceived victim
- targetObject of pursuit
- faultImperfection or blame
victim · innocent · blameless · unfair · guilt · wronged · persecuted · mistreated
Royal family male
- royalOf monarchs
- courtTrial venue or sports surface
- pageNoble's young assistant
- monarchHereditary supreme ruler
tutor · noble · heir · aristocracy · medieval · feudalism · dynasty · privilege
Suspended striking target
- lightning rodGrounded spike for discharges
- easy targetVulnerable person or thing
- dumping groundPlace to discard waste
- mediaInformation distribution channels
politician · bureaucracy · regulation · corporate · department · management
blame
Assign responsibility for wrongdoing
fault · victim · innocent · blameless · unfair · guilt · wronged · persecuted · mistreated · misdirect
prince
Royal family male
monarch · tutor · noble · heir · aristocracy · medieval · feudalism · dynasty · privilege · servitude
punching bag
Suspended striking target
- lightning rodGrounded spike for discharges
- easy targetVulnerable person or thing
- dumping groundPlace to discard waste
media · politician · bureaucracy · regulation · corporate · department · management
- court positionschamberlain, lady-in-waiting, lady in waiting, master of ceremonies, courtier
- suckerssucker, lollipop, Dum Dum, Tootsie Pop, all-day sucker
- accountabilityaccountability, responsibility, accountable, take responsibility, answerability
- boysboy, lad, laddie, young boy, little boy
- Old Jobsblacksmith, farrier, wheelwright, chandler, apothecary
- archetypeshero, villain, trickster, mentor, mother
whipping boyguilty party
One held responsible
perpetrator · root cause · mastermind · instigator · ringleader
whipping boyuntouchable
Exempt from criticism or harm
sacred cow · golden child · protected class · favorite · fair-haired boy