Dictionary

pass the buck en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

May have originated with the game of poker, in which a marker or counter, frequently in frontier days a knife with a buckhorn handle, was used to indicate the person whose turn it was to deal. If the player did not wish to deal he could pass the responsibility by passing the "buckhorn" or "buck", as the marker came to be called, to the next player.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, informal) To transfer responsibility or blame from oneself onto another; to absolve oneself of concern for a given matter by claiming to lack authority or jurisdiction.
   • He closes the foreword by acknowledging that his proposals would have far-reaching impacts on railway staff, communities and industry - and passes the buck onto government to ensure that these consequences are managed appropriately. 2023 March 8, Gareth Dennis, “The Reshaping of things to come...”, in RAIL, number 978, page 44:
   • McLean was quoted in the Austin American Statesman as saying that although he had expected the guidelines to be ruled illegal, an attorney general's opinion […] was required in order to clarify the law. But critics say Bernstein and McLean simply passed the buck to the attorney general in order to placate the small group of fundamentalist Christians who had been lobbying them. 1990 February 4, David Morris, “Attorney General Sides With Texas Gay Groups”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 29, page 3:

Forms

Coordinates

weasel out

Relateds

the buck stops here · buck-passer · buck-passing

Translations (24)

ca passar la pilota (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · de die Schuld abschieben (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · vi đổ lỗi (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · fr renvoyer la balle (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · vi chuồi trách nhiệm (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · es pasar la bola (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · vi đổ tội (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · it fare a scaricabarile (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · nl zwartepieten (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · mi whakarare (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · mi uapare (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · de die Verantwortung schieben (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · vi đổ quanh (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · pl zwalać odpowiedzialność na innych (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · cmn 甩鍋 /甩锅 (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · cmn 推諉 /推诿 (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · vi đổ trách nhiệm (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · de die Verantwortung weiterreichen (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · mnc ᠠᠨᠠᠮᠪᡳ (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · da sende aben videre (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · pl zwalić odpowiedzialność na innych (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · cmn 推卸責任 /推卸责任 (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · fi pakoilla vastuuta (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself) · ru сва́ливать отве́тственность (to transfer responsibility or blame from oneself)