Quick answer: “Pass the Buck” means shift responsibility for a problem or decision to someone else.
Pass the buck — to shift responsibility for a problem, task, or decision to someone else, especially to avoid dealing with it yourself.
Origin & History
The idiom comes from 19th-century American poker. In the game, a marker called a “buck” (originally a buckhorn-handled knife) was passed around the table to indicate whose turn it was to deal. Passing the buck literally meant passing the responsibility of dealing to the next player. The phrase entered general American usage in the late 19th century. President Harry S. Truman famously kept a sign on his Oval Office desk reading “The Buck Stops Here” — a direct reference to this idiom, signalling that he took personal responsibility.
Today “pass the buck” is used to describe any situation where someone avoids responsibility by redirecting it to another person. It implies a lack of accountability and is typically used critically. Figurative expressions of this kind are the sort of entry catalogued by major reference works such as the Cambridge Dictionary, which track how idiomatic meanings develop and spread.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Context |
|---|---|
| Don’t pass the buck — you made the decision, so you need to deal with the consequences. | Personal accountability |
| The manager kept passing the buck to other departments instead of resolving the issue. | Workplace avoidance |
| Politicians often pass the buck to local authorities rather than addressing problems nationally. | Political criticism |
| He passed the buck to his assistant, who had no authority to make the decision. | Inappropriate delegation |
| Stop passing the buck and take responsibility for what happened. | Direct challenge |
| The committee passed the buck for months before anyone took action. | Institutional delay |
Use It in Conversation
Dialogue Example
Fiona: I’ve been waiting three weeks for a response about the complaint. I keep getting transferred.
Raj: That’s classic buck-passing. I’ll escalate it to the director directly.
Fiona: Thank you — I was starting to lose hope.
How to Use It
The idiom is neutral to informal. It is often used critically to describe avoidance of responsibility: “passed the buck”, “passing the buck”, “stop passing the buck.” The related noun form is “buck-passing” (adjective: “buck-passing behaviour”).
Common Mistakes
Mistakes to Avoid
She passed the deer to her colleague.
She passed the buck to her colleague. — The fixed word is “buck”, not any other animal.
He passing the buck every time there’s a problem.
He passes the buck every time there’s a problem. — Use the correct verb form: “passes” (third person singular present).
Related Idioms
Practise This Idiom
Want to understand the grammar behind this? Explore our Grammar guides.
Quick Check: Pass the Buck
2 questions — test what you just learned.
1. What does “Pass the Buck” mean?
2. Complete the sentence: “Don’t _____ — you made the decision, so you need to deal with the consequences.”