'pagar el pato'

Question

Puedes darme un ejemplo cuando usar el frase, 'pagar el pato' in a sentence?

Thank you

seb, the sentence right into the title, please. - 00494d19, Nov 7, 2010

Answer 1

Todos rompimos la ventana, pero yo pagué el pato.

We all broke the window, but it was me who took the rap.

(which originates from: to take the 'rap on the knuckles with a ruler' probably dealt by a teacher to punish a schoolchild. In England it's been illegal for teachers to use corporal punishment since 1987 in state schools, although fee-paying schools continued dishing it out until 2003.)

I think we also used to say, 'took the can', unless my memory is playing tricks.

Answer 2

La cigarra se divierte y las hormigas pagan el pato

Answer 3

Algo parecido es "get a bum rap", ser castigado injustamente o recibir un castigo merecido por otro.

Pepe cometió el error en la empresa y Juan , como estaba cerca, pagó el pato.

Answer 4

The reference I have: To be the fall guy, to be the scapegoat, to take the rap. Le hicieron que pagara el pato. They made him the scapegoat.

Answer 5

I thought this meant "pay the price" in the sense of "I went out last night knowing I had to wake up early, now I'm paying the price." Is this not quite it? (Maybe this is more "pasar factura"?)

Answer 6

The translator here uses the phrases, "To pay the price", or "to face the music". This isn't quite the same as "to be punished unjustly". Can this phrase have different meanings under different circumstances?

Answer 7

Yea "get a bum rap", as Heidita says of course.

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I think of it as sort of being a "decoy duck" (could this be where the phrase was derived?)