sacrificial lambnoun [ C usually singular ]
uk/ˌsæk.rɪ ˈfɪʃ.əl ˈlæm/us/ˌsæk.rɪ ˈfɪʃ.əl ˈlæm/someone or something that is given to people in authority and is expected to be harmed or destroyed, especially in order to prevent other people or things from being harmed or destroyed:
We knew the department would be a sacrificial lamb when the time came to cut costs.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Blaming & accusing
- a bad workman blames his tools idiom
- accusation
- accusatory
- accusing
- allegation
- attribute
- attribution
- carry
- chalk sth up
- charge
- contributory negligence
- face the music idiom
- finger-pointing
- frame
- hang
- indictment
- opprobrium
- recrimination
- stitch sb up
- thank sb for sth idiom
See more results »