phrasal verb/idiom (British) · neutral
carry the can
/ˈkæri ðə kæn/CAR·ry the CAN
to take the blame or responsibility, often for others' mistakes
Examples
“When the project failed, the junior manager ended up carrying the can.”
“Politicians sometimes look for a scapegoat to carry the can.”
“He was unfairly made to carry the can for the company's financial losses.”
Band 8 sentence
“Rather than address systemic failure, managers sometimes try to find a junior staffer to carry the can for expensive mistakes.”
Collocations
- carry the can for
- end up carrying the can
Word family
Common mistakes
mang lon→chịu trách nhiệm
take the blame (always)→carry the can
Say it for a higher band
5take the blame→6be a scapegoat→7+carry the can
Synonyms
take the blame
be a scapegoat
Easily confused
take the blame
“He took the blame for the mistake to protect his colleague.”
Related words
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