pass the buck

P p

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [pas, pahs stressed th ee buhk]
- /pæs, pɑs stressed ði bʌk/
- /pɑːs ðə bʌk/

Definitions of pass the buck words

noun pass the buck Poker. any object in the pot that reminds the winner of some privilege or obligation when his or her turn to deal next comes. 1
verb with object pass the buck to pass (something) along to another, especially as a means of avoiding responsibility or blame: He bucked the letter on to the assistant vice president to answer. 1
idioms pass the buck pass the buck, to shift responsibility or blame to another person: Never one to admit error, he passed the buck to his subordinates. 1
verbal expression pass the buck put blame on sb else 1
noun pass the buck to shift blame or responsibility onto another 0
noun pass the buck to evade blame or responsibility by trying to pass it to someone else 0

before 1860

One of the 29% newest English words

First recorded in 1860-65; short for buckhorn knife, an object which served this function

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

beat around the bush — to talk around a subject without getting to the point
beg the question — If you say that something begs a particular question, you mean that it makes people want to ask that question; some people consider that this use is incorrect.
blame — If you blame a person or thing for something bad, you believe or say that they are responsible for it or that they caused it.
blow the whistle on — to make a clear musical sound, a series of such sounds, or a high-pitched, warbling sound by the forcible expulsion of the breath through a small opening formed by contracting the lips, or through the teeth, with the aid of the tongue.
cover up — If you cover something or someone up, you put something over them in order to protect or hide them.