Ouch!!

I'm sure most people know that "scapegoat" is a truncated version of escape-goat and refers to some person (or originally animal) who takes the blame for the sins of others.  But did you know that the expression "whipping boy" has a similar history? Back in the days when the Monarch was believed to be appointed by God, it followed that the Heir Apparent, who would one day become Monarch themselves must equally be divinely appointed, and as such could not be punished by ordinary mortals. So how to deal with the Heir Apparent if they misbehaved?  And here's where the whipping boy came in - he took the "six of the best" on behalf of his illustrious master. Actually it wasn't such a bad job - when the Heir Apparent succeeded to the throne, his whipping boy was often rewarded - sometimes with a peerage.