hot potato
Nobody wants it
A hot potato is a controversial issue or situation that people want to avoid handling because it's likely to cause trouble or embarrassment.
The metaphor comes from the difficulty of holding an actual hot potato—you want to pass it along quickly.
In political and business contexts, hot potatoes get tossed between departments or officials, with no one wanting responsibility: Immigration reform remains a political hot potato.
The scandal became a hot potato that executives kept passing to each other.
Unfairly blamed person
- finger-pointingAssigning blame openly
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
- accusationsClaims of fault
- faultfindingSeeking out imperfections
responsibility · guilt · liability · reproach · incrimination · recrimination · fall-guy · accountability
Causing sharp disagreement
- polarizingCausing sharp division
- contentiousInclined toward disagreement
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
- sensitiveEasily affected emotionally
debate · dispute · disagreement · backlash · criticism · scandal · political · loaded
Dangerously insecure
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- diceyUncertain and hazardous
- touch-and-goUncertain and risky
- high-stakesInvolving significant consequences
unpredictable · treacherous · dangerous · perilous · hazardous · gamble · minefield · landmine
scapegoat
Unfairly blamed person
- finger-pointingAssigning blame openly
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
- accusationsClaims of fault
faultfinding · responsibility · guilt · liability · reproach · incrimination · recrimination · fall-guy · accountability · ownership
divisive
Causing sharp disagreement
- polarizingCausing sharp division
- contentiousInclined toward disagreement
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
sensitive · debate · dispute · disagreement · backlash · criticism · scandal · political · loaded · inflammatory
precarious
Dangerously insecure
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- diceyUncertain and hazardous
- touch-and-goUncertain and risky
high-stakes · unpredictable · treacherous · dangerous · perilous · hazardous · gamble · minefield · landmine · jeopardy
pressing
Requiring immediate attention
- time-sensitiveRequiring prompt action
- crisisDecisive dangerous moment
- emergencySerious sudden danger
burning · immediate · critical · acute · escalating · festering · brewing · simmering · explosive
deflection
Change in trajectory
punt · defer · shirking · hand-off · distance · disown · dump · unload · foist · delegate
- party gamescharades, musical statues, musical chairs, truth or dare, spin the bottle
- playground gamestag, hide and seek, hopscotch, freeze, capture the flag
- temperature idiomscold shoulder, cold feet, cool as a cucumber, cold turkey, warm welcome
- gamesboard games, card games, board game, card game, video games
- group activitiesgroup games, voting, protest, group dance, group project
- Elimination Gamesmusical chairs, dodgeball, knockout, last man standing, Survivor
hot potatogolden opportunity
Exceptionally favorable circumstance
prize · gift · windfall · dream job · feather in one's cap
hot potatonon-issue
Matter of no importance
no-brainer · moot point · slam dunk · neutral territory · common ground
hot potatopiece of cake
Idiomatic easy task
cakewalk · walk in the park · easy win · slam dunk · breeze