# whipping boy

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A boy who was whipped in the stead of a misbehaving prince in early modern Europe.
2. Someone punished for the errors of others.

## Etymology
First recorded in 1647. It is debated if this type of proxy punishment actually existed, or how widespread it was.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/whipping-boy