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carry the can

Idioms  
  1. Take responsibility or accept blame, as in Joan felt she was always carrying the can for her boss's errors. [Slang; second half of 1900s]


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That may give them more autonomy to make decisions to deliver on these targets, but on the flip side it likely means they will have to carry the can for any issues in their portfolio.

From BBC • Jul. 5, 2023

“Arabella and Andrew ran out of money so I had to carry the can for it in the end. I was getting more and more worse off.”

From The Guardian • Jun. 26, 2020

In addition, he says he was angered that European allies were not doing enough financially to help the beleaguered country, leaving the United States to carry the can.

From Washington Post • Nov. 11, 2019

Hamburg coach Markus Gisdol called the broadcasting issues “a catastrophe for football. The fan has to carry the can for everything.”

From Washington Times • Sep. 9, 2017

London's second opera company, which is rebounding from a huge deficit in the 2011-2012 season, is counting on popular productions like this to fill seats and carry the can for more esoteric offerings.

From Reuters • Oct. 25, 2013