shoot the messenger

== English == === Alternative forms === kill the messenger, shoot the messenger boy === Pronunciation === === Verb === shoot the messenger (third-person singular simple present shoots the messenger, present participle shooting the messenger, simple past and past participle shot the messenger) (idiomatic, sarcastic or humorous) To blame a problem on whoever reported it; to hold somebody accountable for a problem because they brought attention to it. ==== Usage notes ==== Chiefly used in the imperative: don't shoot the messenger. ==== Translations ====