替罪羊|Fall Guy
Transcript：LRC From：Words and Their Stories Update:January 6,2024
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Every week at this time, the Voice of America tells about popular words and expressions used in the United States. Some expressions have made a jump from sports events to everyday life. One such expression is fall guy. A fall guy is the person who someone decides will be the loser or victim.
The first fall guys were men who wrestled for money. At the end of the nineteenth century, wrestling was a very popular sport in the United States. Wrestling competitions were held not only in big cities, but also at country fairs and traveling shows. As the sport became more popular, it became less and less of a sport. Many of the matches were fixed. The wrestlers knew -- before the match -- which one of them would be the winner.
The goal in wrestling is to hold your opponent's shoulders down against the floor. This is called a fall. Sometimes, one of the wrestlers would be paid before the match to take the fall. He would agree to be the loser...the fall guy.
Today, a fall guy is anyone who is tricked into taking the blame for the crime or wrongdoing of someone else. There are fall guys in many situations -- people who publicly take the blame when something goes wrong.
A fall guy takes the rap for something wrong or illegal. He accepts responsibility and punishment for what someone else did. The fall guy may have been involved in the situation, but was not the person who should be blamed.
The word rap has meant blame for several hundred years. The expression to take the rap first was used about one hundred years ago.
Another similar expression is bum rap. A person receives a bum rap if he is found guilty of a crime...but is really innocent.
Sometimes, a fall guy may not realize he is the fall guy until he is the victim of a bum rap. In that case, he may feel that he has been framed. To frame someone is to create false evidence to make an innocent person seem guilty.
Some word experts say the expression to frame someone comes from the way wood must be fitted closely around a painting or photograph to frame it. In the same way, evidence must be designed perfectly if it is to frame an innocent person to make him or her seem guilty.
This VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES was written by Marilyn Rice Christiano. This is Warren Scheer.
VOA慢速英语 - 替罪羔羊;为他人承担过错
每周的这个时间，美国之音讲述美国流行的词语和表达方式。有一些表达方式意义很广泛，从体育赛事到日常生活都可以表达。其中一个这样的短语是：fall guy。fall guy是指某人决定成为失败者或受害者的人。
第一批fall guys是为了钱去摔跤的人。十九世纪末，摔跤在美国是非常流行的运动。不止大城市举行摔跤比赛，乡村展览会和旅行表演也很常见。随着这项运动越来越流行，所包含的运动因素却越来越少。许多比赛是内定的，在比赛之前，选手就已经知道谁会赢了。
摔跤的目的是抓住对手的肩膀，将他摔得双肩着地，这叫做 “fall”。有时候，在比赛开始之前，其中一个摔跤选手会接受别人给的钱，来“take the fall”。他同意成为失败者，愿意成为“fall guy”。
今天，fall guy是为别人所犯的罪行或过错背黑锅的人。在许多场合都有fall guys——公开承担罪名。
fall guy（替罪羔羊）为错事或罪行承担责备（takes the rap） 。他为其他人做的事承担责任，接受惩罚。fall guy（替罪羔羊）可能卷入这件事，但是不是应该承受责备的人。
rap这个词几百年前就已经代表责备的意思。take the rap这个短语一百多年前开始使用。
另外一个类似的表达方式是bum rap（不公正的惩罚）。如果一个人被判有罪，但实际上他是无辜的，那么他就受到了bum rap。
有时，fall guy（替罪羔羊）可能没有意识到他自己是fall guy（替罪羔羊），直到他自己成为bum rap（不公正的惩罚）的受害者。在那种情况下，他可能会感到自己被陷害了（framed）。陷害某人指的是制造虚假证据使一个无辜的人看上去有罪。
一些词语专家说frame someone（陷害某人）这个表达方式来源于木头被固定在油画或照片旁边来做框架（frame）。同样的，如果有人想陷害一个无辜的人有罪，他制造的证据必须非常完美。