take the fall #2
佐川急便の運転手が配達中に駐車違反をした際、知人を身代わりとして出頭させていた疑いで、警視庁が組織的にも身代わり出頭を行っていたとみて東京営業所を捜索しています。
Sagawa delivery driver suspected of having acquaintance take fall for parking violation
A driver at Sagawa Express Co., a major parcel delivery company, is accused of having an acquaintance take the blame for an alleged parking violation, investigative sources said, leading to suspicions that the firm may have been systematically involved in such practices.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) searched Sagawa's Tokyo branch office and other locations linked to the firm on Sept. 16 on suspicion of violating the Road Traffic Act and abetting the harboring of a criminal over the case. The MPD suspects that some other drivers committed similar acts, and is investigating allegations that the practice of shifting responsibility for parking violations is systematic in the company.
http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160916/p2a/00m/0na/018000c
今回取り上げるのは、“take the fall”という表現です。この表現をCambridge Dictionary Onlineで調べてみると、“to accept the blame for something another person did”と定義されていました。“the Fall of Man”で「アダムとイブの原罪」を指すように、“fall”には「罪、堕落」という意味もあります。したがって、“take the fall”で「｟米略式｠他人の代わりに罪を受ける、捕まる」を意味し、この記事では「身代わり出頭する」と用いられています。(ninetails)
