- To evade responsibility or blame for something by shifting it onto another person.
Explanation
Origin
- This idiom originates from 19th-century American poker games.
- A marker, often a knife with a handle made of buckhorn (hence buck), was used to indicate whose turn it was to deal the cards.
- If a player did not want the responsibility of dealing, they could pass the buck (the marker) to the next player.
- The phrase gained prominence when US President Harry S. Truman famously kept a sign on his desk in the Oval Office that read The Buck Stops Here, signifying his willingness to accept ultimate responsibility for government decisions, rather than passing blame.
Synonyms & Related Expressions
Alternatives
Slang/Informal:
- Throw someone under the bus (More about betrayal, but often involves blame-shifting)
- Pin it on (someone) (Assign blame, possibly unfairly)
- Not my problem (Disavowing responsibility, less about active blaming)
- Cop out (Avoid responsibility, often seen as cowardly)
Vulgar/Emphatic:
- Dump shit on (someone else) (Shift blame or problems unfairly)
- Covering their own ass / CYA (Acting to avoid future blame, may involve passing the buck)
Milder/Formal:
- Deflect blame
- Disclaim responsibility
- Abdicate responsibility
- Attribute fault elsewhere
- Fail to take ownership
Situational Appropriateness
- Can be used in informal, semi-formal, and even formal contexts (e.g., discussing politics, business ethics, accountability).
- It always carries a strong negative connotation of evading responsibility unfairly.
Misunderstanding Warnings
- The literal meaning involves passing money (buck as slang for a dollar), which is different. The context of blame and responsibility makes the idiomatic meaning clear.
Examples
- When the project failed, the manager tried to pass the buck to his team.
- Don't try to pass the buck – you were the one who made the final decision.
- There's a culture of passing the buck in that department; no one takes ownership.
Dialogue
Manager: Why did the client complain about the error in the report?
Employee A: It wasn't my fault! Employee B gave me the wrong data.
Manager: Employee B claims you didn't check it properly. Let's not pass the buck here. We need to understand the process breakdown. Who ultimately owns the accuracy of the final report?
Employee A: (Sighs) I guess I do. I should have double-checked the data.
Social Media Examples
- Tweet: Frustrating meeting today. Lots of finger-pointing and attempts to pass the buck instead of finding solutions. #worklife #accountability
- LinkedIn Post: Effective leaders don't pass the buck. They own failures, learn from them, and empower their teams. #LeadershipMindset
- Forum Comment: Stop trying to pass the buck for the server crash! Let's figure out the root cause together. #TechSupport #Teamwork
Response Patterns
- Accusation: Stop passing the buck!
- Denial: I'm not passing the buck; I'm explaining the situation.
- Agreement/Observation: Yeah, he always passes the buck when things go wrong.
- Call for accountability: Someone needs to take responsibility instead of passing the buck.
Common Follow-up Questions/Actions
After accusing someone of passing the buck:
- Demanding accountability: So who *is* responsible?
- Expressing frustration: Why can't you just own up to it?
After observing someone pass the buck:
- Discussing the lack of accountability.
- Expressing frustration or cynicism about the person or situation.
- Trying to determine the actual responsible party.
Conversation Starter
- No. Used to describe or criticize an action or behavior pattern.
Intonation
- Stress usually falls on pass and buck. PASS the BUCK.
- The tone is typically critical, accusatory, or disapproving.
Generation Differences
- Widely understood across generations, partly due to its historical roots and the enduring fame of Truman's The Buck Stops Here.
Regional Variations
- Primarily North American in origin but now widely understood and used in most English-speaking countries.