Underbus:
Verb used to describe the act of “throwing someone under the bus” or otherwise admitting someone’s wrongdoing for them.
- My sister was in trouble with my mom, so she underbussed me for something I did last week, and got herself off the hook.
- An underbusser is a grown tattletale. [Urban Dictionary]
Noted in “December 1, 2025,” Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From An American:
But Leavitt was careful to distance both the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from the order. When asked by a reporter, “Does the administration deny that that second strike happened, or did it happen and the administration denies that Secretary Hegseth gave the order?” she said: “The latter is true.” She attributed the orders of September 2 to Admiral Bradley, appearing to be setting him up for underbussing.
The usage appears to be subtly incompatible with the definition, but then is Urban Dictionary definitive? Merriam-Webster notes:
To throw someone under the bus is to criticize, blame, or punish them, especially in order to avoid blame or gain an advantage. People so thrown are typically in a vulnerable position. The phrase’s origin is uncertain, but it likely got its start in British politics, where the phrase “under a bus” was already in use as a metaphor for misfortune or a conveniently-timed accident.
Perhaps M-W should be used instead.
