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whipping boy
(redirected from whipping boys)

   Also found in: Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.04 sec.
whipping boy
n.
1. A scapegoat.
2. A boy formerly raised with a prince or other young nobleman and whipped for the latter's misdeeds.

whipping boy
n
a person of little importance who is blamed for the errors, incompetence, etc., of others, esp his superiors; scapegoat
[originally referring to a boy who was educated with a prince and who received punishment for any faults committed by the prince]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.whipping boy - someone who is punished for the errors of others
victim - an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
Translations
whipping boy n (fig) → capro espiatorio
whipping boy n (fig) → capro espiatorio


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