buck-passing
- noun
- /ˈbʌkˌpæsɪŋ/
- The problem with the medical profession today is too much buck-passing.
Examples
-
An important part of the problem is bureaucratic buck-passing.
Academic text (1999) -
However, buck-passing would be an equally likely outcome.
Academic text (2010) -
Many in the U.S. foreign policy elite today dismiss the buck-passing strategy that has served the nation well in the past.
Academic text (2001) -
This is classic buck-passing.
Blog text (26) -
That's a rare quality in this day of buck-passing.
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Sometimes Congress is even more forthright in its buck-passing, and it cuts out the bureaucratic middleman altogether.
Academic text (1990) -
The manager's constant buck-passing created frustration among the team members.
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In today's workplace, excessive buck-passing can lead to delays in decision-making.
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During the meeting, the director was criticized for his buck-passing instead of taking responsibility.
Synonyms
Blaming other people for a problem instead of trying to fix it
People or groups say others caused a problem to avoid taking responsibility
Avoiding responsibility or difficult questions by using tricks
Antonyms
How Responsible
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Buck-passing comes from an old poker habit where players passed a marker called a buck to show whose turn it was to deal. If someone 'passed the buck' they tried to avoid the job, so think of pass as 'to move something to someone else' and buck-passing means shifting blame or responsibility to another person.