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Recent Examples of whipping boy
As head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci has become a standard whipping boy for conservatives pushing back against anti-pandemic restrictions, but few politicians have placed him at the center of their outreach to their political base like DeSantis.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy.
—Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
The weaponization subcommittee’s foremost target will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which during Trump’s presidency became a whipping boy for the right, contradicting the GOP’s claim to champion law and order.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023
Jamie, the lawyer, is the resident whipping boy, the black sheep whose ambitions surpass his mettle.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2021
Still, having his excoriating assessments collected between hard covers makes for a powerful indictment, the more so because Boehner’s book vividly captures the growing horror of a bartender’s kid who evolved from a reflexive Democrat to a Reagan Republican to a tea party whipping boy.
—Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
The weaponization subcommittee’s foremost target will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which during Trump’s presidency became a whipping boy for the right, contradicting the GOP’s claim to champion law and order.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 21 Feb. 2023
Jamie, the lawyer, is the resident whipping boy, the black sheep whose ambitions surpass his mettle.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for whipping boy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whipping boy
Noun
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The term has been applied to other groups as well: Teachers, health care workers, government officials and public safety professionals may encounter mandates that threaten to compromise their values, witness morally repugnant behavior or become a victim of somebody else’s transgression.—
Christina Caron,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
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This means victims of the Park, Franklin, Palisades and Eaton fires could be eligible for relief.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Jacksonville Jaguars sacked Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson on Monday in the NFL’s dark annual ritual of finding fall guys after the regular season came to an end Sunday night.—
David K. Li,
NBC News,
6 Jan. 2025
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Watching England as a non-white person can come with the fear that with many of the national team’s historic defeats comes a fall guy.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
8 July 2024
Noun
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Sharing an exploding fist bump and a laugh with a young boy herding goats at a river island.—
Matt Dutile,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2025
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By Belinda Luscombe February 7, 2025 1:51 PM EST James Akot has three goats.—
Belinda Luscombe,
TIME,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Ted Sarandos and the powerful in Hollywood might be tempted to use Emilia Pérez as a great excuse to back away from the trans community.—
Seven Graham,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Feb. 2025
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The officers used pandemic travel restrictions as an excuse for the delay.—
Joshua Yaffa,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In our opinion, Chief Crowley is being made a scapegoat, and she is being terminated for telling the truth.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
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The Old Testament story of the scapegoat—a goat burdened by human sins and exiled into the wilderness in order to purify the community—inspired Hepburn Ferrer’s latest body of work.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
25 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whipping boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whipping%20boy. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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