whipping boy

SEE SYNONYMS FOR whipping boy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who is made to bear the blame for another's mistake; scapegoat.

(formerly) a boy educated along with and taking punishment in place of a young prince or nobleman.

Origin of whipping boy

First recorded in 1640–50

Words nearby whipping boy

whipped, whipper-in, whippersnapper, whippet, whipping, whipping boy, whipping cream, whipping post, Whipple, Whipple's disease, Whipple's operation

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for whipping boy

But she's had to understand that I won't be her friend's whipping-boy.
Regiment of Women|Clemence Dane
The most familiar example of whipping-boy is mentioned by Fuller in his "Church History."
Little Folks (October 1884)|Various
As a whipping-boy he was too spiritless to be satisfying, and Lady Barbara addressed herself to the invitation.
Lady Lilith|Stephen McKenna
When he went to school he was always the whipping-boy and always the object of his schoolfellows' mockery.
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology|C. G. Jung

He was no longer a mere excrescence on the face of the earth—a poor, puny Pincher who was everybody's whipping-boy.
Pincher Martin, O.D.|H. Taprell Dorling

British Dictionary definitions for whipping boy

whipping boy

noun

a person of little importance who is blamed for the errors, incompetence, etc, of others, esp his superiors; scapegoat

Word Origin for whipping boy

C17: originally referring to a boy who was educated with a prince and who received punishment for any faults committed by the prince

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with whipping boy

whipping boy

A scapegoat, as in This department's always been the whipping boy when things don't go well. This expression alludes to the former practice of keeping a boy to be whipped in place of a prince who was to be punished. [Early 1900s]

单词	whipping boy
释义	whipping boy SEE SYNONYMS FOR whipping boy ON THESAURUS.COM noun a person who is made to bear the blame for another's mistake; scapegoat. (formerly) a boy educated along with and taking punishment in place of a young prince or nobleman. Origin of whipping boy First recorded in 1640–50 Words nearby whipping boy whipped, whipper-in, whippersnapper, whippet, whipping, whipping boy, whipping cream, whipping post, Whipple, Whipple's disease, Whipple's operation Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for whipping boy But she's had to understand that I won't be her friend's whipping-boy. Regiment of Women\|Clemence Dane The most familiar example of whipping-boy is mentioned by Fuller in his "Church History." Little Folks (October 1884)\|Various As a whipping-boy he was too spiritless to be satisfying, and Lady Barbara addressed herself to the invitation. Lady Lilith\|Stephen McKenna When he went to school he was always the whipping-boy and always the object of his schoolfellows' mockery. Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology\|C. G. Jung He was no longer a mere excrescence on the face of the earth—a poor, puny Pincher who was everybody's whipping-boy. Pincher Martin, O.D.\|H. Taprell Dorling British Dictionary definitions for whipping boy whipping boy noun a person of little importance who is blamed for the errors, incompetence, etc, of others, esp his superiors; scapegoat Word Origin for whipping boy C17: originally referring to a boy who was educated with a prince and who received punishment for any faults committed by the prince Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Idioms and Phrases with whipping boy whipping boy A scapegoat, as in This department's always been the whipping boy when things don't go well. This expression alludes to the former practice of keeping a boy to be whipped in place of a prince who was to be punished. [Early 1900s] The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Words related to whipping boy fall guy, scapegoat, patsy, chopping block, dupe, goat, mark, sacrifice, sucker, target, victim
随便看	pron. pronaos pronasion pronatalism pronate pronation pronator prone pronephros prone pressure method prong pronged pronghorn prong key pronominal pronominalize pronormoblast pronotum pronoun pronounce pronounced pronouncement pronto pronuclear pronucleus

whipping boy

noun

Origin of whipping boy

Words nearby whipping boy

Example sentences from the Web for whipping boy

British Dictionary definitions for whipping boy

noun

Word Origin for whipping boy

Idioms and Phrases with whipping boy

Words related to whipping boy