although mike claimed his poor round of golf was due to a bird chirping on his backswing on the second tee, we all knew his excuse was a bartman
to blame your inept performance on someone/something that had little to do with a negative outcome
"although mike claimed his poor round of golf was due to a bird chirping on his backswing on the second tee, we all knew his excuse was a bartman" What is the definition of "bartman"?