English · Idiom Attested

pass the buck

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Shift responsibility.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tránh trách nhiệm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

People around here have taken it up with different parties but everyone seems to pass the buck.

honesty and a reduction in passing the buck

British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent đổ thừa (verb) to pass the buck to someone Tiếng Việt Near equivalent gắp lửa bỏ tay người to pass the buck; to weasel out; to slander Tiếng Việt

Topics: Money

Common questions

What does “pass the buck” mean?

Shift responsibility.

Is “pass the buck” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“đổ thừa” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.