(MUSIC)
Every
week at this time, the Voice of America tells about popular words and
expressions used in the United States. Some expressions have made a
jump from sports events to everyday life. One such expression is fall
guy. A fall guy is the person who someone decides will be the loser or victim.
The first fall guys were men who wrestled for money. At the end of
the nineteenth century, wrestling was a very popular sport in the
United States. Wrestling competitions were held not only in big cities,
but also at country fairs and traveling shows. As the sport became more
popular, it became less and less of a sport. Many of the matches were fixed. The wrestlers knew -- before the match -- which one of them would be the winner.
The goal in wrestling is to hold your opponent's shoulders down
against the floor. This is called a fall. Sometimes, one of the
wrestlers would be paid before the match to take the fall. He would agreed to be the loser...the fall guy.
Today, a fall guy is anyone who is tricked into taking the blame for
the crime or wrongdoing of someone else. There are fall guys in many
situations -- people who publicly take the blame when something goes
wrong.
A fall guy takes the rap for something
wrong or illegal. He accepts responsibility and punishment for what
someone else did. The fall guy may have been involved in the
situation, but was not the person who should be blamed.
The word rap has meant blame for several hundred years. The expression to take the rap first was used about one hundred years ago.
Another similar expression is bum rap. A person receives a bum rap if he is found guilty of a crime...but is really innocent.
Sometimes,
a fall guy may not realize he is the fall guy until he is the victim
of a bum rap. In that case, he may feel that he has been framed. To frame someone is to create false evidence to make an innocent person seem guilty.
Some word experts say the expression to frame someone
comes from the way wood must be fitted closely around a painting or
photograph to frame it. In the same way, evidence must be designed
perfectly if it is to frame an innocent person to make him or her seem
guilty.
(MUSIC)
This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Marilyn Rice Christiano. This is Warren Scheer.
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