shoot the messenger (English, verb)
expansion: shoot the messenger (third-person singular simple present shoots the messenger, present participle shooting the messenger, simple past and past participle shot the messenger)
Senses:
glosses: To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable for a problem because they brought attention to it.
tags: humorous
idiomatic
sarcastic
Forms:
form: shoots the messenger
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: shooting the messenger
tags: participle
present
form: shot the messenger
tags: participle
past
form: shot the messenger
tags: past
form: kill the messenger
tags: alternative
form: shoot the messenger boy
tags: alternative