sticky wicket
Difficult position indeed
A sticky wicket is a difficult or awkward situation.
The phrase comes from cricket, where a damp pitch makes the ball behave unpredictably, disadvantaging the batter.
The figurative sense dominates in everyday use: The budget shortfall has put us on a sticky wicket.
More common in British than American English.
- pickleVinegar-preserved vegetable
- mireBoggy, waterlogged terrain
- hot waterHeated liquid, or trouble
- Catch-22Self-defeating logical trap
- no-win situationDilemma without good outcomes
predicament · dilemma · impasse · bind · hot seat · tough spot · spot · quandary · fine mess · pitch · cricket pitch · knot · minefield · rattrap · conundrum · uphill battle · rough patch · rabbit hole
- hardshipshardship, adversity, struggle, misfortune, difficulties
- Cricket Idiomsnot cricket, bowled over, stumped, on the back foot, on the front foot
- cricketbatsman, bowler, bat, ball, innings
- cricket wicketsstumps, bails
difficulty/ease of situation
sticky wicketcakewalk
Effortless task or promenade
breeze · cinch · snap · piece of cake · walk in the park
sticky, wicket, stick, stickier, stickiest, stickiness, sticking, sticks, stuck