to pass the buck meaning?

Question

What is the meaning of "to pass the buck" idiom?

Answer 1

 

Idiom Conjugations:

 

Answer 2

Gerund Form of the Idiom:

Passing the buck could be considered lazy.
 

Answer 3

Idiom Usage:

Passing the buck is a famous bureaucratic procedure, especially by governments.
 
It wasn't my job so I gave the complaint to the Customer Service Department.
The person in Customer Service thought it was a Technical Department issue so the complaint was passed to them.
The Technical Department thought it was a Production Department issue so passed it to them.
The production department thought the complaint was a Customer Service issue so passed the complaint to them.
 
Everyone just kept passing the buck and the complaint was never taken care of.
 

Answer 4

Idiom Scenario 2:

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A supervisor is talking to one of his workers who has just arrived late ....

Supervisor:  "Why are you late, again?  What happened this time?"
Worker:  "It isn't my fault.  My car broke down on the way to work."
Supervisor:  "Remind me of your excuse the last time you were late."
Worker:  "That wasn't my fault either.  The power went out over night and my alarm clock didn't work.
Supervisor:  "And the time before that?"
Worker:  "That wasn't my fault either.  Someone blocked my car in the parking lot and I couldn't get it out."
Supervisor:  "Seems to me that you are always passing the buck."

The worker won't take responsibility for his/her actions.
 The worker could have had their car serviced regularly and it probably wouldn't have broken down. 
The worker could buy a battery operated alarm clock. 
The worker could have parked in a different spot.
 
 
 

Answer 5

Idiom Scenario 1:

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Two roommates are talking about their other roommate, Susan ...

Roommate 1:  "What's the matter with Susan?  She is always making mistakes but she won't admit to her mistakes.  She always wants to blame someone or something else for the problems."
Roommate 2:  "I know!  Just the other day I came home and the kitchen was a mess.  I asked Susan why she hadn't cleaned up the kitchen.  She told me that Fred made the mess.  I knew that Fred hadn't been home that day.  I knew that it was Susan who made the mess."
Roommate 1:  "That's just Susan's way.  She's always passing the buck to someone else."

Answer 6

Idiom Definition:

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"to pass the buck"

to avoid taking responsibility or blame by passing the responsibility or blame to someone else
 

Synonyms: ascribe, attribute, charge, circumvent, cop, dodge, duck, eschew, equivocate, finger, frame, hedge, impute, indict, parry, pass, prevaricate, quibble, relay, saddle, shirk, shuck, shun, sidestep, slide, tax, waffle