point the finger at
point the finger at — idiom
1. to say openly that a particular person or group caused a problem, treating them
to say openly that a particular person or group caused a problem, treating them as the one at fault.
After the kitchen fire, the manager pointed the finger at the new cook.
point the finger at + person blamed for an incident
When the project failed, Diego refused to point the finger at his teammates.
negative use: refuse to point the finger at + people
Local newspapers pointed the finger at the city council for the flooded streets.
Élise pointed the finger at her brother when their mother found the broken vase.
Takeshi felt hurt when his classmates pointed the finger at him over the broken window.
- blame
plainer and more neutral; lacks the sense of public accusation
- accuse
more formal; often used of a specific charge or crime
- lay the blame on
similar idiom, slightly more formal
- take responsibility
accepting fault yourself instead of blaming others
文法句型
point the finger at + person/group
用法筆記
Object is the person or group being blamed, often introduced with 'at'. Frequently used when the blame is public and may be unfair or premature.