shit rolls downhill

9.9

People in charge pass problems and blame to lower-level workers

idiom

Offensive

: las cagadas las pagan los de abajo

Whenever there’s a big screw-up, shit rolls downhill and the lowest-ranking staff take the blame.

Examples

In large corporations, shit rolls downhill, so employees often suffer the consequences of management's mistakes.
It’s a classic case of shit rolls downhill in government offices, with each department blaming the one below.
It's clear that shit rolls downhill in this company.
When the project failed, shit rolled downhill to the junior staff.
In large corporations, shit rolls downhill, so employees often suffer the consequences of management's mistakes.
It’s a classic case of shit rolls downhill in government offices, with each department blaming the one below.
Whenever there’s a big screw-up, shit rolls downhill and the lowest-ranking staff take the blame.

Synonyms

blame game

vsshit rolls downhill

Informal

17 4.8

People or groups say others caused a problem to avoid taking responsibility

is when leaders push problems downward rather than mutual finger pointing

to hold the bag

vsshit rolls downhill

Informal

11 8.8

End up responsible for the blame or a problem others avoid

occurs when leaders force blame downward onto lower staff

to shoot the messenger

vsshit rolls downhill

3 7.8

Blame or punish the person who brings bad news instead of fixing the problem

is when authority passes problems down to subordinates

buck-passing

vsshit rolls downhill

1 7.1

Act of putting blame on others to avoid doing a job you should do

is about leaders pushing problems down to lower staff

to lay the blame at the feet of (someone)

vsshit rolls downhill

1 6.9

To say someone caused a problem or is at fault

shows leaders moving blame down the hierarchy instead of blaming a single person

Antonyms

accountability

198 6.1

Being responsible for your actions and having to explain them to other people

Surface Forms

shit rolls downhill main

Morphology

shit + roll + downhill

The phrase uses a clear physical image — something nasty literally rolling downhill — so a learner who knows the words can likely infer a metaphor of undesirable things moving downward in an organization. However, using 'shit' to stand for 'problems/blame/responsibilities' and applying the physical image to hierarchical blame is a metaphorical, partly idiomatic extension, so the exact organizational meaning is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Shit rolls downhill paints a simple picture: imagine a pile of shit at the top of a hill that rolls down and lands on the people below. So, the phrase means 'problems' or 'blame' from people at the top usually fall on those lower down in an organization.