whipping boy

American  

noun

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

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

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whipping boy British  

noun

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

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whipping boy Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of whipping boy

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

While Mr. Blanche was Republicans’ whipping boy, their real target was Mr. Trump, whose recent interventions in Republican politics have dismayed them.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

The world's richest man, whose lay-offs and buy-out programs cut more than 25,000 federal employees, took offense at becoming "the whipping boy" for government cuts.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2025

“In some ways, Yoo became the whipping boy for all the public’s anger at social and political elites,” Chun said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2025

Toyota’s faith in democratizing hybrid technology turned the company, once an environmental darling, into a whipping boy as it was widely accused of foot-dragging over electric vehicles.

From New York Times • Jan. 17, 2024

"You don't need my whipping boy to get into the castle. There's a better way."

From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman

Related Words

• fall guy
• patsy
• scapegoat