Where does “หนังหน้าไฟ” come from?

หนังหน้าไฟ (Thai) comes from Thai หน้า, from Proto-Tai ʰnaːᶜ — face.

หนังหน้าไฟ (Thai): person who has to bear or confront the blame, criticism, etc, before the actual culprit, like a puppet in the shadow play which receives the heat from the light source before the puppeteer

Definitions

  1. person who has to bear or confront the blame, criticism, etc, before the actual culprit, like a puppet in the shadow play which receives the heat from the light source before the puppeteer

Ancestry of “หนังหน้าไฟ”, step by step

หนังหน้าไฟ traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Thai หน้า

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Thaiหน้าface; surface; front; person; reputation; dignity
2Proto-Taiʰnaːᶜface

via Thai ไฟ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Thaiไฟfire; flame; light; light source; electricity
2Proto-Taiwɤjᴬfire

via Thai หนัง

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Thaiหนังskin; leather; animal hide; shadow puppet;...
2Proto-Taiʰnaŋᴬskin
Every word from Proto-Tai ʰnaːᶜEvery word from Thai หน้า