Meaning
Scapegoat
Example
Não podemos admitir que ele seja usado como bode expiatório!
We cannot allow him to be used as a scapegoat!
Origin
The expression comes straight from the Hebrew Bible. In Leviticus 16, on Yom Kippur the high priest would symbolically transfer the community's sins onto a goat and drive it into the wilderness. English 'scapegoat' was coined by William Tyndale in his 1530 Pentateuch translation, and Portuguese 'bode expiatório' follows the same idea.
Sources: Britannica — Scapegoat, Etymonline — scapegoat.
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More idioms
Acertar na moscaTo guess correctly / To hit the nail on the headAmigo da onçaA fake/false friendAndar na linhaTo toe the line / To behave properlyArmar um barracoTo cause a public sceneRodar a baianaTo cause a public scene / To go ballisticArrumar sarna pra se coçarTo ask for troubleArrastar as asasTo hit on someone / To flirtAbrir o jogoTo come clean / To open upArregaçar as mangasTo roll up one's sleeves / To get to workAgarrar com unhas e dentesTo hold on for dear life / To seize an opportunity