sin-eater
Definition
- Noun:
- A person who consumes food placed on a corpse: Historically, a "sin-eater" is an individual hired to eat food and drink placed on or near a dead body, with the ritualistic belief that by doing so, they absorb the sins of the deceased, thereby allowing the dead person's soul to rest in peace.
Usage Examples
- (A person who ritually consumes food to cleanse the dead's sins.)
- (The individual was socially isolated due to their ritual role.)
Advanced Usage
- "to act as a sin-eater": to serve as a scapegoat or take on the guilt or shame of others in a figurative sense.
- In the corporate scandal, he was forced to act as the sin-eater, accepting blame for the team's failures. (He was made to bear responsibility for others' wrongdoings.)
Variants and Related Words
- Sin-eating (n): the practice or ritual of consuming food to absorb sins.
- Sin-eating was a common custom in some parts of 17th-century England. (The ritual of absorbing sins through food.)
Synonyms
- Scapegoat: a person who is blamed for the mistakes or sins of others.
- Atonement-bearer: one who carries the burden of guilt for another.
Related Idioms
- To eat someone's sins: a phrase derived from the sin-eater concept, meaning to take on another's guilt.
- She felt as if she had to eat her brother's sins to protect the family's reputation. (She assumed responsibility for his misdeeds.)