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

British Dictionary definitions for pass the buck (1 of 5)

buck 1
/ (bʌk) /

noun

verb

See also buck up

Derived forms of buck

bucker, noun

Word 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