carry the can






carry the can

take responsibility for a mistake or misdeed - British informal

The origin of this expression and the nature of the can involved are both uncertain, though the idiom appears to have started life as early 20th-century naval or military slang.

1998 - Times - Was this the same Mr. Cook who danced on the Tories' graves for not carrying the can for errors of their officials?


Related Idioms :


in the can

completed and available for use

In recording or film-making, something that is in the can has been captured on tape or film.



open up a can of worms

discover or bring to light a complicated matter likely to prove awkward or embarrassing – informal

1998 - New Scientist - UN officials readily accept that they have opened a can of worms and their guidelines will only have an effect, they say, if governments act on them.




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