carry the can

Meanings

verbcarry the can (third-person singular simple present carries the can, present participle carrying the can, simple past and past participle carried the can)

present singular third person carries the can · participle present carrying the can · participle past carried the can · past carried the can

CanadaUKidiomaticTo take responsibility, especially in a challenging situation.
For Vajpayee, who is keen that he alone does not carry the can for his unwieldy alliance, it is a tough decision.
1998 April 25, Arati R. Jerath, "18 partners hunt for one voice," Indian Express (Bombay) (retrieved 21 Oct 2008)
2 more examples
You could reasonably argue that Brown himself should carry the can for much of the regulatory failure of the banks.
2008 October 16, Adrian Hamilton, “Comment: I wouldn't get too carried away by success if I were Brown”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 21 Oct 2008
They're not going to play the patsy where they carry the can for all the woes caused by a tanking in oil prices that's already happened.
2015 June 17, Rick Bell, “Alberta NDP government chooses not to kick province's oil industry when it's down”, in Calgary Sun, Canada, retrieved 25 Sep 2015
Synonyms: take the rap