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Glite Dictionary
to set up as the patsy

to set up as the patsy

9.1
To make someone look guilty for something they did not do by tricking other people
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer quedar como chivo expiatorio
  • In the movie, an innocent man is set up as the patsy to divert attention from the real criminals.

Examples

  • The company executive was set up as the patsy for the financial scandal.

  • Don't set up as the patsy for their mistakes!

  • He realized too late that he had been set up as the patsy by his colleagues.

  • They set up as the patsy to take the blame.

  • In the movie, an innocent man is set up as the patsy to divert attention from the real criminals.

  • He realized too late that he had been set up as the patsy by his colleagues.

  • The company executive was set up as the patsy for the financial scandal.

Synonyms

to set up
vsto set up as the patsy
146 6.2

To trick someone so they appear guilty by using false evidence

focuses more on assigning responsibility broadly rather than only the trick itself
to frame
vsto set up as the patsy
123 7.5

To make someone look guilty of a crime by leaving false evidence

is broader, using deception to blame for acts not only formal crimes
to implicate
vsto set up as the patsy
82 7.2

Show that someone helped commit a crime

assigns clear guilt or responsibility rather than merely hinting at involvement
to incriminate
vsto set up as the patsy
50 7.4

To make someone seem guilty of a crime by showing proof against them

relies more on deceit to assign blame rather than only showing evidence
to implicate in
vsto set up as the patsy
40 6.6

Show that someone is involved in a crime

places direct blame through deceptive setup rather than only implying involvement

Antonyms

to exonerate
  • Formal
129 8.2

To say officially that someone is not guilty of a crime

to absolve
  • Formal
50 7.2

Make someone officially free from blame, guilt, or responsibility

How Framed

to set up as the patsy
  • Informal
9.1
to scapegoat
4 4.1

Surface Forms

set up as the patsy infinitive
set up as the patsy past
set up as the patsy past participle
setting up as the patsy present participle
sets up as the patsy third person singular

Morphology

set + up + as + the + patsy

The expression combines the phrasal verb 'set up' (to arrange or trick) with 'as the patsy' where 'patsy' denotes someone who is manipulated or used as a fall guy, so a learner who knows the constituents can largely infer the idea of making someone appear to be at fault. However, 'set up' has several senses and 'patsy' carries idiomatic connotations (being framed or scapegoated), so the precise sense 'to make someone appear guilty by deliberate deception' is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Set up as the patsy paints a simple picture: someone is set up — tricked or arranged — so they look guilty, and patsy was an old slang name for a person who is easily tricked. One popular story says con men joked about a 'Patsy' who took the blame, and that image explains why the phrase means 'to make someone appear guilty for something they did not do'.