look for a dog to kick: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  British EnglishGeneral Englishinformalcolloquial
  • to seek someone to blame, punish, or vent one's anger on, especially an undeserving or weaker person
  • to find a scapegoat in order to relieve frustration or displeasure

  Examples

  Beta

  • After the manager’s bad day, he seemed to be looking for a dog to kick and unfairly blamed the interns.

    Following a difficult day, the manager sought someone to blame and unjustly criticized the interns.

  • Don’t look for a dog to kick when things go wrong; sometimes it’s no one’s fault.

    Avoid trying to find someone to blame when problems arise; occasionally, it isn’t anyone’s fault.

  • She was clearly looking for a dog to kick after the project failed, even though the team had done their best.

    She was attempting to find a scapegoat following the project’s failure, despite the team’s efforts.