Meaning & use
don't shoot the messenger
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformal
Said to ask someone not to blame the person who delivers bad news, since that person is not responsible for it.
Grammar: A fixed command; the verb stays in this form. Usually said just before or after bad news.
Patterns
- Don't shoot the messenger, but ...
Don't shoot the messenger, but the meeting has been moved to six in the morning.
I only read the report aloud, so don't shoot the messenger.
He sighed and said, don't shoot the messenger, I just work here.
Common combinations
- don't shoot the messenger, but
- Don't shoot the messenger, but the shop is closed today.
- blame the messenger
- It is unfair to blame the messenger for bad news.
- kill the messenger
- Leaders sometimes kill the messenger instead of fixing the problem.
- I'm just the messenger
- I'm just the messenger, so please do not be angry with me.
Synonyms and how they differ
- I'm just the messenger
- This says the same thing as a statement about yourself, while don't shoot the messenger is a request to the listener.
- don't blame me
- Don't blame me is blunt and personal, while the messenger idiom is lighter and a bit humorous.
- don't take it out on me
- Don't take it out on me is plain and direct, with no image of punishment.
Word family
Commonly confused: don't shoot the messenger or kill the messenger?
don't shoot the messenger vs kill the messenger
Kill the messenger describes the unfair act of blaming the bearer, while don't shoot the messenger is the request to stop doing it.
Practice
A worker brings news that the project is late, and says: "___, I only passed along the email." What fits best?
Choose one answer.
Don't shoot the messenger asks the listener not to blame the person delivering bad news. Kill the messenger describes the blaming itself, so it does not fit the request.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “don't shoot the messenger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.