Francophonie· medium
avoir bon dos
“to have a good back”
Meaning
To serve as a convenient excuse for someone else's failings
Explanation
Said of a person, an excuse or a circumstance that conveniently takes the blame, sparing someone else from having to explain themselves.
Example
La météo a bon dos ; en réalité, le chantier a pris du retard bien avant la pluie.
The weather makes a handy scapegoat; really, the building work was behind schedule long before the rain.
Origin
Goes back to at least 1862, when Victor Hugo used it in Les Misérables, remarking on how conveniently death gets landed with the credit for things people would rather not own up to.
Source
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