Englishpass the buck
Meaning: To redirect the blame or responsibility for something (usually a decision) to someone else.
Example: “Every department passed the buck, and the customer's complaint was never answered.”
Equivalents in other languages
Italian: fare a scaricabarile Literally: To make load-dumping
French: Refiler la patate chaude Literally: To pass on the hot potato
Origin: In poker games during the 1800s, a shotgun pellet (called buck) or a pocketknife (often made from buckhorn) was passed to the next person responsible for dealing the cards. By the 20th century, pass the buck came to mean shifting responsibility to someone else. In 1949, U.S. President Harry Truman placed a sign on his desk that read `the buck stops here,' meaning that he took responsibility for government actions and would not try to place the responsibility on anybody else.
More English idioms
- wild-goose chase A useless or difficult search.
- wolf in sheep's clothing Someone who presents himself as a harmless person, but who has intentions that are not ho…
- apple of one's eye A person or thing that is precious or loved above all else.
- big cheese An important, powerful or influential person.
- bite the dust To be destroyed or ruined beyond repair; slang for "to die".
- bitter pill to swallow A difficult or unpleasant reality to deal with.
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