Word – Scapegoat

Scapegoat – Word of the day

Meaning(noun):

a person who is blamed for something that someone else has done

History:

Scapegoat descends from the bible when God tells Moses that the Jewish people should take two goats and cast lots to determine their fate – one of the goats is to be sacrificed, and the other is driven into the wilderness by laying the sins of the people on it. The goat that is driven away is the scapegoat.

Examples:

1. They used her as a scapegoat for the crime they committed.
2. The team made James the scapegoat for their failure.
3. I just escaped, or I would have been their scapegoat.
4. We just needed a scapegoat to put the blame on.
5. The government chose the chief minister as a scapegoat for their flaws.

Meaning(verb):

• to blame a person or thing for something bad that someone else has done.

Examples:

1. We need a scapegoat to thrust this failure on.
2. I made her a scapegoat as I was afraid of facing my manager.
3. I made my clients a scapegoat because I couldn’t close the deal.
4. Can we use her as a scapegoat since she’s dad’s favorite?