sticky wicket

sticky wicket
noun
: a difficult or delicate problem or situation

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1. Cricket. the area of ground around a wicket when it is tacky because of recent rain and therefore does not allow the ball to bounce well.
2. Chiefly Brit. a situation requiring delicate treatment; an awkward situation: In telling his wife that he has to be away for a month in Cannes, he'll be batting on a sticky wicket.
[1925-30]

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sticky wicket noun
A difficult situation to cope with
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Main Entry: ↑stick
————————
sticky wicket see under ↑stick2
• • •
Main Entry: ↑wicket

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sticky wicket,
1. Cricket. the condition when the ground around the wicket is wet and sticky, so that the ball bounces low.
2. Especially British, Figurative. a bad arrangement; difficult situation; unfavorable condition; rough deal: »

Could the Commonwealth survive if the British Government decreed a sticky wicket for the West Indies? (London Times).

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see wicket

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noun [singular]
Brit informal : a difficult situation

It's a bit of a sticky wicket.

She was on a sticky wicket when she saw her friend steal the fund-raiser money.


Useful english dictionary. 2012.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sticky wicket — (or sticky dog, or glue pot) is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance, particularly in cricket. OriginsThe phrase comes from the game of cricket, where it describes a cricket pitch that is in the process of drying after being… …   Wikipedia

  • sticky wicket — (UK) If you are on a sticky wicket, you are in a difficult situation …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • sticky wicket — n. 1. Cricket the playing area between the wickets when it is damp and hence sticky and slow 2. [Informal, Chiefly Brit.] a difficult or awkward situation …   English World dictionary

  • sticky wicket — /stɪki ˈwɪkət/ (say stikee wikuht) –noun 1. Cricket a wicket, affected by rain, which gives an unpredictable bounce. 2. Colloquial a delicate, difficult or disadvantageous situation: to find yourself in yet another sticky wicket. –phrase 3. be on …  

  • Sticky Wicket — Infobox Television episode Title = Sticky Wicket Series = M*A*S*H Caption = Season = 1 Episode = 21 Airdate = March 4, 1973 Production = J321 Writer = Richard Baer Director = Don Weis Guests = Episode list = List of M*A*S*H episodes Prev = The… …   Wikipedia

  • sticky wicket — 1. Cricket. the area of ground around a wicket when it is tacky because of recent rain and therefore does not allow the ball to bounce well. 2. Chiefly Brit. a situation requiring delicate treatment; an awkward situation: In telling his wife that …   Universalium

  • Sticky wicket — 1. (cricket) wet but drying wicket that promotes slow bounce in which the ball sticks and then pops; 2. delicate, difficult or disadvantageous situation or set of circumstances: He s on a sticky wicket now that his father has disinherited him …   Dictionary of Australian slang

  • sticky wicket — Australian Slang 1. (cricket) wet but drying wicket that promotes slow bounce in which the ball sticks and then pops; 2. delicate, difficult or disadvantageous situation or set of circumstances: He s on a sticky wicket now that his father has… …   English dialects glossary

  • sticky wicket — (UK)    If you are on a sticky wicket, you are in a difficult situation.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • sticky wicket — Noun. A difficult situation. Cf. Bat on a sticky wicket …   English slang and colloquialisms

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