What it means
If you carry the can, you’re the one left taking the blame or cleaning up the mess when things have gone pear-shaped, even if half the idiots involved have already scarpered. It’s got a properly British sting to it, usually implying you’ve been landed with the grief while everyone else wriggles off.
Usage examples
"He always ends up carrying the can for decisions he never even made."
"When it all went wrong, the junior staff were left to carry the can."
"Marketing pitched the campaign, finance signed it off, but when the numbers tanked it was the junior coordinator who had to carry the can in the boardroom."
"He volunteered for the project lead because he wanted the title, then realised he was the one carrying the can for three departments that never agreed on anything."
"Funny how the directors vanished the second the audit kicked off and now Denise has to carry the can for the whole circus."
Where it comes from
This is a British idiom recorded from the early 20th century. It first referred to literally carrying the drink can for a group, the person stuck hauling the thing about. From there it drifted into a wider sense of being the one left with the burden, especially when blame or fallout needed pinning on somebody.
Editors of this term
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