Meaning of pass the buck | Babel Free
Definitions
To transfer responsibility or blame from oneself onto another; to absolve oneself of concern for a given matter by claiming to lack authority or jurisdiction.
Equivalents
Català
passar la pilota
Deutsch
abputzen
den Schwarzen Peter zuschieben
die Schuld abschieben
die Verantwortung schieben
die Verantwortung weiterreichen
Español
pasar la bola
Suomi
pakoilla vastuuta
Français
renvoyer la balle
Italiano
fare a scaricabarile
日本語
転嫁
Kurdî
dua
Nederlands
zwartepieten
Русский
сва́ливать отве́тственность
Examples
“McLean was quoted in the Austin American Statesman as saying that although he had expected the guidelines to be ruled illegal, an attorney general's opinion […] was required in order⟳ to clarify⟳ the law. But critics say⟳ Bernstein and McLean simply passed the buck to the attorney general in order⟳ to placate the small group of fundamentalist Christians who had been lobbying them.”
“He closes the foreword by acknowledging that his proposals would have⟳ far-reaching impacts on railway staff, communities and industry - and passes the buck onto government to ensure that these consequences are managed appropriately.”
CEFR level
C1
Advanced
This word is part of the CEFR C1 vocabulary — advanced level.
This word is part of the CEFR C1 vocabulary — advanced level.
Know this word better than we do? Language is a living thing — help us keep it growing. Collaborate with Babel Free