Don't Play Poker? You Still Can 'Pass the Buck'

 

Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories.

Each week, we try to have a new story. In these stories, we explain English words and expressions. Often, they come from day-to-day events in our lives and become part of the language.

The expression “pass the buck¹” is an example. A card game may be the origin of this American expression.

Gamblers in saloons of the Old West may be responsible for “pass the buck.” To understand how we have to learn about the game of poker³ – then and now.

In poker, each player, one after another, mixes the playing cards, and then passes them out. They deal them. Back then, an object -- often a Buck knife -- was placed in front of a player whose turn it was to deal.

A man named Hoyt Buck created the Buck knife back in the early 1900s. As a young blacksmith⁴ in Kansas, Buck wanted to find a better way to make knife blades stronger and hold their sharp edge longer. He produced his first Buck knife in 1902 and the family company is still making Buck knives today.

But let’s get back to the poker game.

Okay, so the person with the marker, or the "buck," in front of them had a decision to make. They could either keep the deal or give it to another player. They would pass the Buck knife, or other similar marker, when they did not want the responsibility of dealing⁵.

So, today when someone passes the buck, they fail to take responsibility for a problem. They want someone else to solve it.

“Pass the buck” led to another American expression. Former President Harry⁶ Truman, who enjoyed playing poker, made this one famous.

A friend of Truman’s presented him with a small sign for his White House office. The sign said: “The buck stops here.” This meant that Truman was responsible for what happened in the country. The president cannot “pass the buck.”

There are other ways to express the meanings of “pass the buck.”

You could also say “avoid responsibility” or even “evade⁷ responsibility.”

If you shift the blame, you try to make someone else take responsibility for something you did. Many work places have these types of people. For whatever reason, they are unable to take responsibility for their mistakes. These types of people try to shift the blame to others.

When you evade responsibility, you refuse to own up to something you did. You can also evade responsibility for something you failed to do. However, evading⁸ responsibility does not necessarily mean placing it on someone else. “Passing the buck” does – you force someone else to deal with a problem or issue.

Sometimes we simply say we “own it” -- “it" being the mistake. If you “own” something that has gone wrong, you take full responsibility for it. We also say things like, “That’s on me!” or “My bad!” These are very casual and common ways of saying, “It’s my fault!”

Now, let’s hear the words and expressions in a short dialogue.

A: Okay, so our meeting with the client is tomorrow at 4 pm. They want to see a mock-up of our interactive⁹ web page. I have all the content written. Are you finished with the draft yet?

B: Um, Allen is making the draft web page.

A: He told me that you wanted to do it.

B: I did not say that. My job is to find images and videos. He is trying to pass the buck … again!

A: Yeah, he does that a lot, doesn’t he. Well, we need something to show the client tomorrow. Do you have the images?

B: Yeah, they’re on this flash drive. Wait. Where is the flash drive?

A: I don’t know.

B: Oh man! I do! I left it on the train coming into work today.

A: So, let me get this straight. Our meeting with the client is tomorrow afternoon and we don’t have a web page or images.

B: Losing the images is on me. I’ll load another flash drive today. But I have nothing to do with the web page!

A: Don’t worry about that. I’m project manager. So, ultimately¹⁰ the buck stops with me. You just get me the videos and photos by close of business. I’ll take care of the rest.

B: Got it!

And that’s the end of this Words and Their Stories.

Practice using one of the expressions you heard here. Describe a time when maybe you passed the buck or owned up to a mistake!

I’m Anna Matteo.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away, and know when to run.

You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.

There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealings done.

Words in This Story

origin – n. rise, beginning, or derivation from a source

gambler² – n. one who risks something of value for the chance of winning a prize

saloon – n. a place where alcoholic¹¹ drinks are served especially : such a place in the western U.S. during the 19th century

deal – v. card games : to distribute (playing cards) to players

blacksmith – n. a person who makes or repairs things made of iron (such as knives or horseshoes)

evade – v. to avoid dealing with or facing (something)

shift – v. to go or to cause (something) to go from one person or thing to another

fault – n. responsibility for a problem, mistake, bad situation, etc.

mock-up – n. a working sample (as of a magazine) for reviewing format¹², layout, or content

interactive – adj. designed to respond to the actions, commands, etc., of a user

draft – n. a version of something (such as a document) that you make before you make the final version

ultimately – adv. in the end

1 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

2 gambler   

n.赌博者；赌徒

参考例句：

• The gambler sponged a cigarette from the man sitting next to him. 那个赌徒向坐在他旁边的人讨支烟抽。
• He was notorious as a gambler. 他是臭名昭著的赌徒。

3 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

4 blacksmith   

n.铁匠，锻工

参考例句：

• The blacksmith is hammering the red-hot metal.铁匠正在锤烧红的铁。
• The blacksmith forged a bar of iron into a hook.铁匠把一根铁条锻造成一个钩子。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

7 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

8 evading   

逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出

参考例句：

• Segmentation of a project is one means of evading NEPA. 把某一工程进行分割，是回避《国家环境政策法》的一种手段。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Too many companies, she says, are evading the issue. 她说太多公司都在回避这个问题。

9 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

10 ultimately   

adv.最后地，最终地，首要地，基本地

参考例句：

• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience.那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。
• Vitamin C deficiency can ultimately lead to scurvy.缺乏维生素C最终能道致坏血病。

11 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

12 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。