トカゲのしっぽ切り　tokage no shippo kiri

The direct translation of “tokage no shippo kiri” is chopping off the tail of a lizard.

Chopping off the tail of a lizard…..　What the hell is that? What does it stand for?

OK, I will explain this strange expression.

Scapegoat

“tokage no shippo kiri” means just as a lizard cuts off its tail and runs away, when a scandal is discovered, those at the top avoid being pursued by shifting the blame onto those at a lower level

日本語例文

・トカゲの尻尾切りとはまさにこのことだ。

・大物政治家のトカゲの尻尾切りになるのは秘書と昔から相場が決まっている。