buck
4
[ buhk ]
/ bʌk /
noun
Poker.
any object in the pot that reminds the winner of some privilege or obligation when his or her turn to deal next comes.
verb (used with object)
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.
Idioms for buck
pass the buck,
to shift responsibility or blame to another person: Never one to admit error, he passed the buck to his subordinates.
Origin of buck
4
First recorded in 1860–65; short for
buckhorn knife, an object which served this function
Words nearby buck
buchman,
buchmanism,
buchner,
buchner funnel,
buchu,
buck,
buck and wing,
buck bean,
buck fever,
buck for,
buck moth
British Dictionary definitions for pass the buck (1 of 5)
buck
1
/ (bʌk) /
noun
verb
See also
buck up
Derived forms of buck
bucker, nounWord Origin for buck
Old English
bucca he-goat; related to Old Norse
bukkr, Old High German
bock, Old Irish
bocc
British Dictionary definitions for pass the buck (2 of 5)
buck
2
/ (bʌk) /
noun
US, Canadian and Australian informal
a dollar
Southern African informal
a rand
a fast buck
easily gained money
bang for one's buck See bang 1 (def. 15)
Word Origin for buck
C19: of obscure origin
British Dictionary definitions for pass the buck (3 of 5)
buck
3
/ (bʌk) /
noun
gymnastics
a type of vaulting horse
US and Canadian
a stand for timber during sawing
Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): sawhorse
verb
(tr) US and Canadian
to cut (a felled or fallen tree) into lengths
Word Origin for buck
C19: short for
sawbuck
British Dictionary definitions for pass the buck (4 of 5)
buck
4
/ (bʌk) /
noun
poker
a marker in the jackpot to remind the winner of some obligation when his turn comes to deal
pass the buck informal
to shift blame or responsibility onto another
the buck stops here informal
the ultimate responsibility lies here
Word Origin for buck
C19: probably from
buckhorn knife, placed before a player in poker to indicate that he was the next dealer
British Dictionary definitions for pass the buck (5 of 5)
Buck
/ (bʌk) /
noun
Pearl S (ydenstricker). 1892–1973, US novelist, noted particularly for her novel of Chinese life The Good Earth (1931): Nobel prize for literature 1938
Cultural definitions for pass the buck
pass the buck
To shift blame from oneself to another person: “Passing the buck is a way of life in large bureaucracies.” (See the buck stops here.)
Idioms and Phrases with pass the buck (1 of 2)
pass the buck
Shift responsibility or blame elsewhere, as in She's always passing the buck to her staff; it's time she accepted the blame herself. This expression dates from the mid-1800s, when in a poker game a piece of buckshot or another object was passed around to remind a player that he was the next dealer. It acquired its present meaning by about 1900.
Idioms and Phrases with pass the buck (2 of 2)
buck