pass\ the\ buck

pass\ the\ buck
v. phr. informal
To make another person decide something or accept a responsibility or give orders instead of doing it yourself; shift or escape responsibility or blame; put the duty or blame on someone else.

Mrs. Brown complained to the man who sold her the bad meat, but he only passed the buck and told her to see the manager.

If you break a window, do not pass the buck; admit that you did it.

Compare: let George do it, buck-passer, buck-passing
••
to try to avoid blame or responsibility by blaming someone or smth else (buckpassing)

Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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  • pass the buck — {v. phr.}, {informal} To make another person decide something or accept a responsibility or give orders instead of doing it yourself; shift or escape responsibility or blame; put the duty or blame on someone else. * /Mrs. Brown complained to the… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • pass the buck — {v. phr.}, {informal} To make another person decide something or accept a responsibility or give orders instead of doing it yourself; shift or escape responsibility or blame; put the duty or blame on someone else. * /Mrs. Brown complained to the… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Pass the Buck — may refer to: *Pass the Buck (pricing game), a pricing game on The Price Is Right * Pass the Buck (game show), a 1978 game show hosted by Bill Cullen * Pass the Buck (Australian game show), a 2002 game show hosted by John Burgessplease write this …   Wikipedia

  • pass the buck — If you pass the buck, you avoid taking responsibility by saying that someone else is responsible …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • pass the buck — ► to blame someone or make them responsible for a problem that you do not want to deal with: »Politicians were criticized for passing the buck on health care reform. Main Entry: ↑buck …   Financial and business terms

  • pass the buck — ► pass the buck informal shift responsibility to someone else. Main Entry: ↑buck …   English terms dictionary

  • pass the buck — phrasal : to shift a responsibility to someone else inclined to pass the buck to some other futile body Sir Winston Churchill * * * pass the buck (slang) To shift the responsibility to someone else (from the practice of passing the marker to the… …   Useful english dictionary

  • pass the buck — tv. to shift the responsibility for something to someone else; to evade responsibility. (See also buck passer.) □ When things get a little tough, do what I do. Pass the buck. □ Don’t pass the buck. Stand up and admit you were wrong …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • pass the buck —    If you pass the buck, you avoid taking responsibility by saying that someone else is responsible.   (Dorking School Dictionary)    ***    If you say that someone is passing the buck, you are accusing them of not taking responsibility for a… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • pass the buck — to blame someone or to make them responsible for a problem that you should deal with yourself. Parents often try to pass the buck to teachers when children misbehave in school. (sometimes + to) Bus companies are just passing the buck by saying… …   New idioms dictionary

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