as in dilemma
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
with both sets of in-laws insisting that we spend Thanksgiving with them, we were on a sticky wicket indeed
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Recent Examples of sticky wicket
That third spot is a sticky wicket for a team projected to be just outside the top five in the game.
—
Eno Sarris, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK published 18 September 2024
A cricketing powerhouse for decades, Pakistan's national team have suddenly found themselves on a sticky wicket.
—Harriet Marsden, theweek, 18 Sep. 2024
Much of its lexicon sounds both unapproachable and, well, just weird: sticky wicket, googly, yorker, jaffa, daisy cutter, silly mid off, maiden over, tickle, nurdle, trundler, paddle scoop, popping crease, golden duck.
—Chris Heath, The Atlantic, 25 July 2024
While reforms have been proposed in the past under other leaders, they have gotten caught up in a sticky wicket of state bureaucracy.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2024
The situation is a sticky wicket, to use an old-fashioned term from the sport of cricket, for the countless interest groups that depend on money from the budget.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 4 May 2024
In contrast, altering and editing an image can be a much more nuanced process that makes determining what part is from humans a sticky wicket.
—Drew McLellan, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
As with all questions of volcanic behaviour, the real sticky wicket is timing.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2023
Ant Group are currently on a sticky wicket.
—Prathamesh Mulye, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2021
Eno Sarris, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK published 18 September 2024
A cricketing powerhouse for decades, Pakistan's national team have suddenly found themselves on a sticky wicket.
—Harriet Marsden, theweek, 18 Sep. 2024
Much of its lexicon sounds both unapproachable and, well, just weird: sticky wicket, googly, yorker, jaffa, daisy cutter, silly mid off, maiden over, tickle, nurdle, trundler, paddle scoop, popping crease, golden duck.
—Chris Heath, The Atlantic, 25 July 2024
While reforms have been proposed in the past under other leaders, they have gotten caught up in a sticky wicket of state bureaucracy.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2024
The situation is a sticky wicket, to use an old-fashioned term from the sport of cricket, for the countless interest groups that depend on money from the budget.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 4 May 2024
In contrast, altering and editing an image can be a much more nuanced process that makes determining what part is from humans a sticky wicket.
—Drew McLellan, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
As with all questions of volcanic behaviour, the real sticky wicket is timing.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2023
Ant Group are currently on a sticky wicket.
—Prathamesh Mulye, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sticky wicket
Noun
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Parallels run like the train tracks Davis and the cinematographer Pierre H. L. Désir Jr. depict — first as signifiers of the Great Migration and later, as L tracks cross and clatter, evoking Malaika and Nico’s upending romantic dilemma.—
Lisa Kennedy,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
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Without enough skilled workers, projects stall, costs rise, and economic progress slows, creating an epically problematic dilemma.—
Brynn Cooksey,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Now, there are clearly two ways out of this predicament for Leeds United.—
Jordan Campbell,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Is there a way out of our divided country’s seemingly hopeless predicament?—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The company mentioned Pinterest naming pickles as a top trend for 2025 as another reason for the new flavor.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
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So what makes this gentle would-be romance between a bookstore clerk and a pickle vendor so timeless, so endlessly appealing?—
Jason Bailey,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The maritime archaeologist identified shell impact holes in the upper starboard of the hull’s ballast tank and significant battle damage to the base of the submarine’s conning tower.—
Sean Kingsley,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Feb. 2025
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Placing the tag on Holland could make some sense, but a $19.6 million price tag could be too rich for a Dolphins team that needs to shore up several holes.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The conflicting stances put the Trump administration in a bind, legal experts say.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
20 Feb. 2025
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Recommended Peace Jordan in a bind: What to offer Trump instead of taking in Gaza refugees?—
Alfredo Sosa,
The Christian Science Monitor,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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So far, he’s gone down the rabbit hole with Gene Simmons, Tom Morello and Sharon Osbourne, and a trailer teases upcoming chats with Carnie Wilson, Richie Sambora, Corey Feldman, Paul Williams, Robby Krieger, the late Sam Moore and more.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
25 Feb. 2025
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Together the two enter a whirlwind romance sending them down the rabbit hole of drugs and depravity in Manhattan’s underworld.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The fish thrive in rivers, creeks, ponds, and swamps with slow or still waters and are often found on vegetation, logs, and dead branches.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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The swamp is not being drained; it’s being filled with more water than the Panama Canal.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sticky wicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sticky%20wicket. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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