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
• • •
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.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • 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

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