"fall guy" meaning in English

See fall guy in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: fall guys [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} fall guy (plural fall guys)
  1. (informal) One who is gullible and easily duped. Tags: informal Categories (topical): People, Stock characters Synonyms: patsy Synonyms (one who is gullible): dupe Translations (one who is easily duped): наивник (naivnik) [masculine] (Bulgarian), poire [feminine] (French), balek (Hungarian), palimadár (Hungarian), könnyű préda (Hungarian), простофиля (prostofilja) [masculine] (Russian), saf (Turkish), enayi [colloquial] (Turkish), keriz [slang] (Turkish), saftirik [slang] (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-fall_guy-en-noun-rmE30FC- Disambiguation of People: 100 0 Disambiguation of Stock characters: 91 9 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Kyrgyz translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Turkish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 90 10 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 76 24 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 87 13 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 85 15 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 76 24 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 86 14 Disambiguation of Terms with Kyrgyz translations: 84 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 81 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Turkish translations: 85 15 Disambiguation of 'one who is gullible': 99 1 Disambiguation of 'one who is easily duped': 95 5
  2. (informal) A scapegoat. Tags: informal Synonyms (scapegoat): scapegoat Translations (a scapegoat): изкупителна жертва (izkupitelna žertva) [feminine] (Bulgarian), lampiste [feminine, masculine] (French), pigeon [masculine] (French), Sündenbock [masculine] (German), bűnbak (Hungarian), жок жерден күнөөлүү (jok jerden künöölüü) (Kyrgyz), козёл отпуще́ния (kozjól otpuščénija) [masculine] (Russian), pagano (Spanish), şamar oğlanı (Turkish), günah keçisi (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-fall_guy-en-noun-f8kQCRrQ Disambiguation of 'scapegoat': 12 88 Disambiguation of 'a scapegoat': 9 91
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: fall-guy, fallguy Related terms: take the fall

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fall guys",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fall guy (plural fall guys)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "take the fall"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "90 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "87 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "89 11",
          "kind": "other",
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        },
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          "_dis": "85 15",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "81 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "86 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "84 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Kyrgyz translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "81 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "83 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "85 15",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "91 9",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Stock characters",
          "orig": "en:Stock characters",
          "parents": [
            "Fictional characters",
            "Fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One who is gullible and easily duped."
      ],
      "id": "en-fall_guy-en-noun-rmE30FC-",
      "links": [
        [
          "gullible",
          "gullible"
        ],
        [
          "dupe",
          "dupe"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) One who is gullible and easily duped."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "patsy"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1",
          "sense": "one who is gullible",
          "word": "dupe"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "naivnik",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "наивник"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "poire"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "word": "balek"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "word": "palimadár"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "word": "könnyű préda"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "prostofilja",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "простофиля"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "word": "saf"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "tags": [
            "colloquial"
          ],
          "word": "enayi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "tags": [
            "slang"
          ],
          "word": "keriz"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "one who is easily duped",
          "tags": [
            "slang"
          ],
          "word": "saftirik"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2012 August 21, Ed Pilkington, “Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Clemons's supporters have over the years given a different rendition of events. In the racially heated atmosphere of St Louis in the early 1990s, they say, Clemons was made the fall guy. Of the four men who were charged with the murders, the three black men were all put on death row while the one white man is now free on parole.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 50:",
          "text": "Marples, who later fled to Monaco to escape prosecution for fraud, was the driving force behind The Reshaping of British Railways report published on March 27 1963. Dr Richard Beeching [who wrote the report] was just his fall guy.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A scapegoat."
      ],
      "id": "en-fall_guy-en-noun-f8kQCRrQ",
      "links": [
        [
          "scapegoat",
          "scapegoat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) A scapegoat."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "sense": "scapegoat",
          "word": "scapegoat"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "izkupitelna žertva",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "изкупителна жертва"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "lampiste"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "pigeon"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Sündenbock"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "word": "bűnbak"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "ky",
          "lang": "Kyrgyz",
          "roman": "jok jerden künöölüü",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "word": "жок жерден күнөөлүү"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "kozjól otpuščénija",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "козёл отпуще́ния"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "word": "pagano"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "word": "şamar oğlanı"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "9 91",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "a scapegoat",
          "word": "günah keçisi"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "fall-guy"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "fallguy"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fall guy"
}
{
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Kyrgyz translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Turkish translations",
    "en:People",
    "en:Stock characters"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fall guys",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fall guy (plural fall guys)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "take the fall"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One who is gullible and easily duped."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "gullible",
          "gullible"
        ],
        [
          "dupe",
          "dupe"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) One who is gullible and easily duped."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "patsy"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2012 August 21, Ed Pilkington, “Death penalty on trial: should Reggie Clemons live or die?”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Clemons's supporters have over the years given a different rendition of events. In the racially heated atmosphere of St Louis in the early 1990s, they say, Clemons was made the fall guy. Of the four men who were charged with the murders, the three black men were all put on death row while the one white man is now free on parole.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 50:",
          "text": "Marples, who later fled to Monaco to escape prosecution for fraud, was the driving force behind The Reshaping of British Railways report published on March 27 1963. Dr Richard Beeching [who wrote the report] was just his fall guy.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A scapegoat."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "scapegoat",
          "scapegoat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) A scapegoat."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "one who is gullible",
      "word": "dupe"
    },
    {
      "sense": "scapegoat",
      "word": "scapegoat"
    },
    {
      "word": "fall-guy"
    },
    {
      "word": "fallguy"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "naivnik",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "наивник"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "poire"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "word": "balek"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "word": "palimadár"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "word": "könnyű préda"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "prostofilja",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "простофиля"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "word": "saf"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "word": "enayi"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "word": "keriz"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "one who is easily duped",
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "word": "saftirik"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "izkupitelna žertva",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "изкупителна жертва"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "lampiste"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "pigeon"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Sündenbock"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "word": "bűnbak"
    },
    {
      "code": "ky",
      "lang": "Kyrgyz",
      "roman": "jok jerden künöölüü",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "word": "жок жерден күнөөлүү"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "kozjól otpuščénija",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "козёл отпуще́ния"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "word": "pagano"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "word": "şamar oğlanı"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "a scapegoat",
      "word": "günah keçisi"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fall guy"
}

Download raw JSONL data for fall guy meaning in English (4.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.