Blaming Others With a Goat: A 'Scapegoat'

Blaming Others With a Goat: A 'Scapegoat¹'

And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.

Many of our English expressions come from our interactions with or observations of animals. Today we talk about an animal that gets blamed for a lot of bad things – a goat!

To be more exact, we are talking about a scapegoat.

A scapegoat is a person who is the receiver of blame and anger about a situation. Often the anger is without reason. So, if someone is unfairly blamed for something, that person could be called a scapegoat.

"Scapegoat" combines the English words "escape" and "goat." The word has an interesting history. But before we hear that, let's hear the word used in some examples.

Just because Tabitha had made mistakes in the past, she became the scapegoat in her family for everything that went wrong. But in fact, her sisters did worse things than she did.

The builder of a new apartment building became the scapegoat for changes to the neighborhood. Houses became more expensive and poorer people began moving out. But in reality, wealthy people had been moving into the area for many years.

Now, let's talk about the origin: Where does this word come from?

Experts with Merriam Webster say "scapegoat" is connected to religion. On the dictionary's website, they explain that on a certain religious holiday, ancient Hebrews would sacrifice one goat and lead another one into the wilderness². The goat sent to the wilderness carried all the sins of the people.

So historically speaking, a scapegoat is an actual goat that takes on the sins of others. In other words, the goat carried the sins of other people away with it.

In our modern usage³, a scapegoat is someone who bears the blame for others.

In English, there is another word that has a similar meaning. A "fall guy" is someone who is blamed for something that someone else did. The word "fall guy" suggests that the person was set up for something they did not do.

Here's an example:

Lawyers for the defendant⁴ argued that their client was being set up by her boss. She was simply a fall guy for her boss's crimes. He was the real guilty party.

And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

origin – n. the point where something begins

sacrifice – n. something offered as a religious act : an act of giving up something especially for the sake of someone or something else

sin – n. an action that breaks a religious law : an action that is or is felt to be bad

1 scapegoat   

n.替罪的羔羊，替人顶罪者；v.使…成为替罪羊

参考例句：

• He has been made a scapegoat for the company's failures.他成了公司倒闭的替罪羊。
• They ask me to join the party so that I'll be their scapegoat when trouble comes.他们想叫我入伙，出了乱子，好让我替他们垫背。

2 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

3 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

4 defendant   

n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的

参考例句：

• The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
• The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。