> David--thank you!!
I LOVE this Board! What an unexpected bonus I got!
I do have a question, though, about that word 'chidden':
how common is that? I very seldom hear anyone use any form
of the word 'chide', but I probably would have used
'chided' here, simply because I was unfamiliar w/ chidden.

Apologies, Jackie. I've been off-line but I see David was able to elaborate on the definition and history of 'scapegoat. I've never heard the word 'chidden'. I presume that it is quite archaic or regional dialect. I'll look it up sometime.