passed the buck
Made someone else's problem
Passed the buck means shifted responsibility or blame to someone else rather than handling it yourself.
The phrase comes from poker, where a marker (the buck) indicated whose turn it was to deal.
To pass it along was to avoid the duty: When the project failed, everyone passed the buck to the new hire.
The opposite sentiment appears in "the buck stops here."
- point the fingerAccuse someone of wrongdoing
- pointExact location or meaning
- excusesExplanations offered for faults
- shirkingAvoiding obligatory tasks
- delegationTransferring responsibility downward
someone else's problem · abdication · kicking the can down the road · scapegoating · deflection · hot potato · transference · rationalization · avoidance · shift · procrastination · dodge · look the other way · play dumb · denial · evasion · blame-shifting · throw under the bus
passed the buckowned up
faced the music · manned up · bit the bullet · fell on one's sword · stepped up
passed the buckthe buck stops here
Accepting final responsibility here
stepped up · took charge · took the bull by the horns · stepped up to the plate · took the lead
pass, passed, passing, passes, passer, passable, impassable, buck, bucks