Pass The Buck

Pronunciation: /pæs ðə bʌk/

Definitions of pass the buck

noun a responsibility or blame that is passed on to someone else

Example Sentences

A1 I don't like it when people pass the buck and blame others for their mistakes.

A2 Passing the buck is not a responsible way to handle a problem.

B1 In a team, it's important to work together and not pass the buck when things go wrong.

B2 The manager refused to pass the buck and took responsibility for the project's failure.

C1 Passing the buck is a sign of weak leadership and lack of accountability.

C2 The CEO's refusal to pass the buck and willingness to take ownership of the company's mistakes earned her respect from her employees.

verb to transfer responsibility or blame to someone else

Example Sentences

A1 He always tries to pass the buck when something goes wrong at work.

A2 She passed the buck to her colleague when asked about the missing report.

B1 The manager passed the buck to the intern for the mistake in the presentation.

B2 The CEO tried to pass the buck to the previous administration for the company's financial troubles.

C1 The politician was known for always passing the buck and never taking responsibility for his actions.

C2 In times of crisis, leaders must not pass the buck but instead take charge and make tough decisions.

Examples of pass the buck in a Sentence

formal It is important for team members to take responsibility for their actions and not pass the buck.

informal Don't try to pass the buck on this one, just own up to your mistake.

slang Stop trying to pass the buck, take responsibility for what you did.

figurative When faced with a difficult decision, some people tend to pass the buck instead of taking charge.

Grammatical Forms of pass the buck

• past tense: passed the buck
• plural: pass the bucks
• comparative: pass the bucker
• superlative: most likely to pass the buck
• present tense: passes the buck
• future tense: will pass the buck
• perfect tense: has passed the buck
• continuous tense: is passing the buck
• singular: passes the buck
• positive degree: passes the buck
• infinitive: to pass the buck
• gerund: passing the buck
• participle: passed the buck

Origin and Evolution of pass the buck

First Known Use: 1865 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The phrase 'pass the buck' originated from poker, where a marker or counter, often a knife with a buckhorn handle, was used to indicate the player whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not wish to deal, they would 'pass the buck' to the next player.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the phrase 'pass the buck' has evolved to mean shifting responsibility or blame to someone else, rather than simply passing on a marker in a game of poker.