noun
Patsy
PAT-see
noun
1
A person who is easily blamed, deceived, or taken advantage of by others.
"The gang needed a patsy to take the fall if the plan went wrong."
"He felt like a patsy after realizing his "friend" had used him the whole time."
How to Use Patsy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone set up to take the blame, or an easy target for a scam.
Common pairings
made a patsy of him
act like a patsy
Word Forms
patsies plural
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The gang needed a _____ to take the fall if the plan went wrong.
Etymology
Likely from a clipped form of the names Patricia or Patrick, with the informal -sy ending.