foil; sacrificial lamb; someone set up to lose
Refers to a person or entity deliberately placed in a losing position to make another look stronger or more impressive. Often used in competitive contexts like sports, business, or storytelling.
He used the new employee as a foil to show off his own competence.
In that match, the opposing team's ace was treated like a sacrificial lamb.
Standard kanji spelling; the kanji 噛 is a common but non-jōyō character, so kana usage is also frequent.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; often used when the writer wants to avoid the non-jōyō 噛.
Literally 'a dog made to bite'. The phrase originates from dogfighting, where a weaker dog is used to provoke a stronger one, making the stronger dog look more impressive. The metaphorical use extends this idea to any situation where someone is set up to fail for another's benefit.