The phrase "butt of criticism" is correct and can be used in written English.
It means someone or something that is the target of criticism or negative comments. Example: Despite her efforts, the new CEO became the butt of criticism from shareholders for her controversial decision to restructure the company.
From its birth the ECB has been a popular butt of criticism.
Indeed, it has often been the butt of criticism from Chinese officials.
"When we do something big in the public forum and it doesn't succeed, we know we'll be the butt of criticism.
If it does not sort this out, it will go on being the butt of criticism in investigations, such as this one, where much thorough investigation took place.
Though the fast-food chain remains popular with the French, it has often been the butt of criticism for its supposed role in debasing French cuisine.
"But Texas was embarrassed to become the poster child of industrial pollution and a butt of criticism because of our system of criminal justice".The other change was personal.
Once his company was merged with the Mirror group in 1999, however, he found himself in print on a regular basis - and often the butt of harsh criticism.
That tends to diminish the chances of them voting for Mr Obama, who recently said that he supports gay marriage, and who is the butt of endless criticism from the National Rifle Association.
Instead, it is the host country that is now the butt of more criticism.Since Cambodia joined ASEAN in 1999, Phnom Penh has grown from a quaint backwater into a bustling city.
His comments have made him a darling of conservative radio hosts, a butt of jokes on television talk shows and a target of criticism from state Democrats.
They have as a result often been the butt of fierce criticisms, particularly relating to ANT's radical ontological assumptions.
