look for a dog to kick

English

Etymology

Referring to the tendency some people have to vent their frustrations on things which appear to be unable to defend themselves, such as dogs.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

look for a dog to kick (third-person singular simple present looks for a dog to kick, present participle looking for a dog to kick, simple past and past participle looked for a dog to kick)

1. (idiomatic) To seek someone or something to blame. Synonym: take it out on

See also

• displaced aggression
• it is easy to find a stick to beat a dog
• scapegoat