punching bag

Definitions

1. A tough bag, usually cylindrical, filled with air, sand, or other material, often suspended so that it swings freely, which is punched or kicked when practising sports such as boxing or martial arts.
   US
2. A person serving as an object of abuse.
   US, figuratively

Equivalents

Examples

“For so long, Theon Greyjoy was the punching bag of Game of Thrones, a sort⟳ of shitty Charlie Brown who not only failed to kick⟳ the football, but would then be beaten savagely with it every time he landed on his ass.”

“The response was swift, and [Harold] Bloom became a punching bag for leftist critics, who valued literature’s power to deliver⟳ social and political messages for the underrepresented.”

CEFR level