whipping boy
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whipping boy
Where it comes from
First recorded in 1647. It is debated if this type of proxy punishment actually existed, or how widespread it was.
noun whipping boys · whipping-boy
- A boy who was whipped in the stead of a misbehaving prince in early modern Europe. As the whipping boy, he must take the whippings for the royal heir, Prince Brat.
-
Someone punished for the errors of others.
Once upon a time there was a little Power, the half-bankrupt wreck of a once great empire, that lost its temper with England, the whipping-boy of all the world, and behaved, as every one knows, most scandalously.
Similar: scapegoat, sacrificial lamb, escapegoat, fall guy, folk devil, goat, Joe Soap, patsy, whipping boy
Translations
Every language
noun someone punished for the errors of others
| Español | chivo expiatorio, niño de los azotes |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 替罪羊 tìzuìyáng |
| Português | bode expiatório |
| Français | lampiste, pigeon, souffre-douleur |
| Deutsch | Prügelknabe, Prügeljunge |
| Italiano | capro espiatorio |
| Română | țap ispășitor |
| Русский | ма́льчик для битья́ málʹčik dlja bitʹjá, козёл отпуще́ния kozjól otpuščénija, крайний krajnij, стре́лочник stréločnik |
| עברית | נער מלקות náar malkót |
Talk about this word "whipping boy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/whipping%20boy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. whipping boy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/whipping%20boy "whipping boy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/whipping%20boy.Cite this
@misc{whipping_boy_2026,
title = {whipping boy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/whipping%20boy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
