When we blame one another for moral transgressions, we are doing something: we accuse the other of wrongdoing (“You did this on purpose”), demand an explanation (“How could you?”,“What were you thinking?”), or request an apology or compensation (“You owe me a drink!”). ese speech acts, in turn, invite characteristic responses – explanations, excuses, justifications, apologies – and render others inappropriate. Blame can be public, when spoken out loud, or private, when merely thought. is suggests that there is a moral practice of blaming that we frequently engage in – a socially recognized activity structured by internal norms. My aim in this paper is to investigate its nature.