What is the meaning and origin of the expression “to leave someone holding the bag”?
(A. Jayaraman, Mysore) When you leave someone holding the bag, you make him a scapegoat; you make him take all the blame for something that you have done. Our not so beloved politicians are famous for this. Here are a few examples. * It was the Minister’s fault, but he wasn’t the one left holding the bag. * When the window broke everyone ran away. Mala was left holding the bag. The expression comes from the sport of bird hunting. In the old days whenever a new boy moved into a neighbourhood, the other boys welcomed him by playing a trick on him. They used to take him to the woods at night to do some bird hunting. The new kid on the block was usually given a sack and a lantern to hold. When they had gone deep into the woods, the “new” boy was instructed to do two things: 1. To keep the bag open and 2. Hold the lantern slightly above the bag. He was told that the scared birds would fly straight for the light and in the process get caught in the bag. The remaining boys went into the bushe
