take the

take the hit (for someone or something)

To face punishment, blame, censure, or arrest for someone else's crime or misdeed. We've made it look like he withdrew the money, so when the police start investigating, he'll be the one to take the hit. I'm always taking the hit for your mistakes—I'm sick of covering for you! Janet doesn't have any penalty points on her license, so she agreed to take the hit for Jeff.

See also: hit, someone, take

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

take the

fall/hit Slang

To incur blame or censure, either willingly or unwillingly: a senior official who took the fall for the failed intelligence operation.

See also: take

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.