Whipping Boy (Noun)
Meaning
Someone who is punished for the errors of others.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- The new employee was made the whipping boy for the team's poor performance, despite being on the job for only a week.
- The company's CEO used the marketing manager as a whipping boy to deflect blame for the failed product launch.
- In the eyes of the public, the government's minister of finance was the whipping boy for the country's economic woes.
- The coach made the rookie player the whipping boy for the team's loss, even though the veteran players had made most of the mistakes.
- The company's IT department was often used as a whipping boy for any technical issues, even if they were not responsible for the problem.