IdiomAnimals
Russian
Russianкозёл отпущения (kozjol otpushchenija)
Meaning: A person blamed or punished for the wrongs of others; a scapegoat.
Literally: Goat of dismissal
Example: “Стажёра сделали козлом отпущения за общую ошибку.” — The intern was made the scapegoat for everyone's mistake.
English equivalent: A scapegoat
Equivalents in other languages
English: a scapegoat
Origin: A translation of the biblical scapegoat—the goat that bore the sins of the community and was sent into the wilderness.
More Russian idioms
- нечего греха таить (nechego grekha tait') Truth be told; one might as well admit something true and damning rather than conceal it.
- молоко на губах не обсохло (moloko na gubakh ne obsokhlo) a very young or inexperienced person; someone barely past infancy.
- Чья бы корова мычала, а твоя бы молчала (Ch'ya by korova mychala, a tvoya by molchala) You're in no position to criticize; you have the same fault, or a worse one.
- Игра не стоит свеч (Igra ne stoit svech) The effort or money spent won't be repaid by the result.
- Не вешай лапшу на уши (Ne veshay lapshu na ushi) Don't lie to me; stop trying to deceive me.
- Когда рак на горе свистнет (Kogda rak na gore svistnet) When pigs fly; never.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Дорого яичко ко Христову дню (Dorogo yaichko ko Khristovu dnyu) Help or a gift is most valuable when it comes at the right time.
- Не так страшен чёрт, как его малюют (Ne tak strashen chyort, kak ego malyuyut) Things are rarely as bad as they're made out to be.
- Не до жиру, быть бы живу (Ne do zhiru, byt' by zhivu) In hard times you settle for survival, not comfort.
Keep exploring