Tar-Baby
Inescapable sticky situation
A tar-baby is a sticky situation that worsens the more you struggle with it—from the Uncle Remus folktale where Br'er Fox traps Br'er Rabbit with a doll made of tar.
Each punch sticks him tighter: The lawsuit became a tar-baby—every motion created three new problems.
The term carries racial baggage from its origins in plantation-era Black dialect stories, making it risky in public discourse despite its useful metaphorical meaning.
Difficult, unpleasant situation
- quandaryState of perplexity
- catch-22Paradoxical no-win situation
- no-win situationDilemma without good outcomes
- impasseSituation without resolution
conundrum · deadlock · bind · plight · stalemate · paradox · inextricable · struggle
Difficult circumstance to escape
- snareDevice for catching prey
- trapDevice for catching animals
- quagmireSoft, wet ground
- ensnareCatch by trickery
adhesion · cling · entanglement · mire · web · lure · quicksand · inescapable
- Br'er FoxFolklore's crafty canine antagonist
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- trickster talesFolklore of cunning characters
- animal fablesMoral stories featuring creatures
Br'er Rabbit · moral lessons · antebellum South · cultural heritage · storytelling tradition · fable · legend · narrative
Progressive increase in intensity
- provocationAct that triggers response
- counterproductiveHindering intended outcome
- aggravationState of being vexed
- worseningBecoming more severe
making things worse · compounding · self-defeating · reactive · baited · goading
predicament
Difficult, unpleasant situation
- quandaryState of perplexity
- catch-22Paradoxical no-win situation
- no-win situationDilemma without good outcomes
impasse · conundrum · deadlock · bind · plight · stalemate · paradox · inextricable · struggle · complication
sticky situation
Difficult circumstance to escape
ensnare · adhesion · cling · entanglement · mire · web · lure · quicksand · inescapable · stuck
Uncle Remus
- Br'er FoxFolklore's crafty canine antagonist
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- trickster talesFolklore of cunning characters
Br'er Rabbit · animal fables · moral lessons · antebellum South · cultural heritage · storytelling tradition · fable · legend · narrative · allegory
escalation
Progressive increase in intensity
- provocationAct that triggers response
- counterproductiveHindering intended outcome
- aggravationState of being vexed
making things worse · worsening · compounding · self-defeating · reactive · baited · goading
Tar-Babyescape hatch
Emergency exit opening
way out · liberation · release · exit strategy · clean break
Tar-Babyquick fix
Hasty temporary solution
no-brainer · slam dunk · cakewalk · pushover · piece of cake
Tar-BabyTeflon
Nonstick pan coating
slippery · greased pig · frictionless · water off a duck's back · paper wall
tar, baby, tars, tarred, tarring, tarry, babies, babyish, babyhood