patsy
pronunciation
How to pronounce patsy in British English:
UK [ˈpætsi]
How to pronounce patsy in American English:
US [ˈpætsi]
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- Noun:
- a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
Word Origin
- patsy (n.)
- "fall guy, victim of a deception," 1903, of uncertain origin, possibly an alteration of Italian pazzo "madman" (see patch (n.2)), or south Italian dialectal paccio "fool." Another theory traces it to Patsy Bolivar, character created by Billy B. Van in an 1890s vaudeville skit who was blamed whenever anything went wrong. "Poor Rogers," Vincent said, still smiling, "he is always the 'Patsy Bolivar' of the school." "Yes," Frank answered, "if there are any mistakes to be made or trouble to fall into, Rogers seems to be always the victim." ["Anthony Yorke," "A College Boy," 1899]
Example
- 1. She listens to patsy cline when she 's sad .
- 2. Professional poker players say that if you have been playing for a while and cannot figure out who the patsy is , it 's you .
- 3. Patsy , could we get a minute ?
- 4. That hapless shark was just a patsy ?
- 5. This is crazy . I 'm a patsy ! I 'm a patsy !