Whipping boy
Whipping boy referred to a boy of lower rank in feudal times who was punished in courts instead of the noble offspring, if a direct punishment of the noble children was not permitted due to the lower rank of the punisher. Whipping boys often grew up with aristocratic offspring, creating a social and emotional bond. The corporal punishment of the whipping boy worked as an indirect psychological punishment for the noble child.
Usage of the term today
Nowadays the term whipping boy is usually used as a synonym for a scapegoat , which serves as an outlet for social and / or structural discrepancies. The current use of the term can come very close to the original one, for example if a subordinate (e.g. employee of a company) is blamed for an error that a superior (e.g. the owner of the company) actually committed or through his / her superior Is responsible for instructions.
The term is less commonly used for people or groups of people (e.g. sports teams) who have to put up with a lot of defeats.
Sometimes the term whipping boy is incorrectly used for people who abuse other people (ie "beat up"). However, this contradicts the real meaning of the word that a whipping boy is the one who was beaten and not the one who was beaten .
literature
- Whipping boy. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 13 : N, O, P, Q - (VII). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1889, Sp. 2190 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
Web links
- Brief description of the history of the whipping boys ( Whipping Boy ) at the English court in the 15th and 16th centuries (English).