the buck stops here
No more excuses
The buck stops here declares that responsibility ends with the speaker—no further passing of blame or deferral to others.
The phrase gained fame from a sign on President Truman's desk.
A buck was a marker in poker indicating whose turn it was to deal; to pass the buck meant shifting that duty to someone else.
When it comes to this project, the buck stops here.
- Oval OfficePresident's formal workspace
- ownershipLegal right of possession
- integrityMoral soundness and consistency
- liabilityLegal or financial obligation
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
Harry Truman · authority · duty · dependability · answerability · Truman · governance · obligation · final say · decision-making · management · transparency · initiative · trustworthiness · conscientiousness · commitment · command · chain of command
the buck stops herepass the buck
Transfer responsibility elsewhere
passing the buck · buck-passing · blame-shifting · finger-pointing · not my problem
the buck stops herescapegoating
Unfairly assigning fault to innocents
blame game · pointing fingers · making excuses · blamestorming
the buck stops herekicking the can down the road
Postponing action on something
punting · dereliction of duty · copping out · cop-out · ducking out
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