Friday, 13 June 2008 09:29 am
(no subject)
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deckardcanineFrom IMDb:
Suddenly Paramount, a whipping boy among the major studios as it perennially came in last or near last when yearly earnings were disclosed, is now whipping everybody in sight.
I checked the meaning of "whipping boy." As I thought, it originally meant a boy who took the punishment when a prince acted up, and the conventional figurative sense is simply a scapegoat. The above usage just suggests someone who loses competitions by a wide margin.
Has this usage -- too new for my most immediate sources -- become common? Or can I safely call it an error on the journalist's part?
Suddenly Paramount, a whipping boy among the major studios as it perennially came in last or near last when yearly earnings were disclosed, is now whipping everybody in sight.
I checked the meaning of "whipping boy." As I thought, it originally meant a boy who took the punishment when a prince acted up, and the conventional figurative sense is simply a scapegoat. The above usage just suggests someone who loses competitions by a wide margin.
Has this usage -- too new for my most immediate sources -- become common? Or can I safely call it an error on the journalist's part?