shit rolls downhill

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

Meaning · English

Problems originating at the top of the chain of command or organizational hierarchy tend to become the responsibilities of those lower down.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Vấn đề từ trên cao thường trở thành trách nhiệm của những người dưới cấp

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: colloquial, vulgar

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “shit rolls downhill” mean?

Problems originating at the top of the chain of command or organizational hierarchy tend to become the responsibilities of those lower down.

Is “shit rolls downhill” formal or informal?

shit rolls downhill is generally colloquial, vulgar.