[clivehawkins]

Hi there,

Interesting question. I found this on a site. Don't know if it's the true origin but here goes:

scapegoat - a person blamed for a problem - from the ancient Jewish annual custom, whereby two goats were brought before the alter of the tabernacle (place of worship) by the high priest on the Day of Atonement. Lots were drawn to determine which goat should be sacrificed. The surviving goat then had the sins of the priest and the people transferred to it by the priest's confession, after which it was taken into the wilderness and allowed to escape, hence 'scapegoat' ('scape' was a middle English abbreviation of 'escape' which is still a word but has disappeared from use).

cheers