sacrificial lamb

English

Noun

sacrificial lamb (plural sacrificial lambs)

1. A lamb killed as an offering to the gods.
2. (figurative, by extension) A person who is sacrificed (not literally) for the greater good of some cause.

Translations

lamb

• Finnish: uhrilammas
• German: Opferlamm n
• Italian: agnello sacrificale m
• Kazakh: ақсарбас (aqsarbas)
• Swedish: offerlamm (sv)

person

• Finnish: uhrilammas
• German: Bauernopfer (de) n
• Italian: agnello sacrificale m
• Polish: kozioł ofiarny (pl) m
• Portuguese: boi de piranha m
• Swedish: offerlamm (sv)

See also

• scapegoat

Further reading

• “sacrificial lamb”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “sacrificial lamb”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “sacrificial lamb” (US) / “sacrificial lamb” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.