pass the buck

1. To shift blame from oneself to another person: “Passing the buck is a way of life in large bureaucracies.” ( See the buck stops here .)

Idioms and Phrases

Shift responsibility or blame elsewhere, as in She's always passing the buck to her staff; it's time she accepted the blame herself . This expression dates from the mid-1800s, when in a poker game a piece of buckshot or another object was passed around to remind a player that he was the next dealer. It acquired its present meaning by about 1900.

Example Sentences

The collective angst has so far not resulted in a massive protest and, as the Supreme Court once observed, politicians just “pass the buck” and wait for the season to get over.

From BBC

"They are all trying to pass the buck so that no one says yes I made this decision knowing that should a fire occur it would be one of complete devastation."

From BBC

"She's trying to pass the buck," said Jean Vincent, a Butler resident.

From BBC

"Social media and online sharing platforms are taking the approach that if we're not required to do it, we will do the bare minimum, and pass the buck on to consumers and let them flag things," he says.

From BBC

“I want you to know that I’m very aware, I have seen those films. I do not want that on this campus. I want to be clear, but I can’t take anything off the table, Cauce said. “I’m not trying to pass the buck, but there’s no formula … I am very hopeful that we can come up with a solution that is voluntary.

From Seattle Times