The term 'make a scapegoat' can be summarized as blaming someone else for one's own mistakes or misdeeds. This phrase is derived from the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, in which Abraham was asked by God to make a sacrifice of his son, Isaac. To avoid this, Abraham instead made a goat the scapegoat, taking the BLAME for his own actions. This phrase has since been used to refer to any situation in which someone is blamed for something they did not do.