What do you mean, "pass the buck?" As a non-native English speaker, I usually come across idioms which I am just sure I must have found before, and maybe even learned what they mean, but which have slipped from the retrievable banks of my memory. Case in hand, the afforementioned "pass the buck," which I found some time ago while looking for news on the "Poems Not Fit for the White House" event. (You still remember that, doncha?) When I finally found them, the event was described thusly by the reporter: "Hardly any of the poets read poems of their own, and as each new presenter arrived onstage, you could hear the unmistakable sound of a buck being passed." (Emphasis added.)
¡Ay-ay-ay! I know I've heard that one before, but what does it mean to "pass a buck?" Luckily, there are resources out there like The Phrase Finder, which provides the meaning and origins to common expressions. Here, the entry for the one that concerns us:
| |
Meaning |
| |
|
Pass responsibility onto someone else. |
| |
Origin |
| |
|
From the card game poker. A buck was a marker that indicated whose turn it was to deal. Passing the buck moved the deal onto the next player. Silver dollars were later used as markers and this may have been the origin of the use of buck as a slang term for dollar. |
|
