Aunt Sally

If something or someone is described as an Aunt Sally it means that he, she or it has been set up as an easy target for criticism or blame, usually in the sense of deflecting criticism or blame from the real culprit. The expression is originally American and derives from Aunt Sally being the name of a fairground figurine or doll that had a pipe in its mouth. If fairground punters could knock the pipe out of the doll’s mouth, they would win a prize. This Aunt Sally game is first cited in America in 1866 and then spread to Britain, where it is stilled found in some country taverns. By the late 19th century, the current figurative meaning of the expression was well established on both sides of the Atlantic.