Scapegoat
Etymology
From the ritual in Leviticus 16: on the Day of Atonement a goat was symbolically laden with the people’s sins and driven into the wilderness (to "Azazel"). The English word was coined by the Bible translator William Tyndale as "scapegoat" (escape-goat) to render the term. It now names anyone singled out to bear collective guilt.
noun · /SKAYP-goht/
A person unfairly blamed and made to carry the faults or failures of others.
What it names
A sharp handle for blame deliberately shifted onto one target to spare the actually responsible.
Example
When the launch failed, management made the junior engineer the scapegoat.
Related idea
A scapegoat is blamed to divert responsibility from others; a fall guy is set up in advance to take the punishment — spontaneous blame-shifting versus a premeditated patsy.