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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The Freaky Friday homeowner’s dilemma is, unfortunately, not uncommon for those who lost homes in the Palisades and Eaton Fires.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2025
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Another possibility: Trump’s blueprint could drive inflation higher while also weakening the economy – an unusual tandem that would pose a vexing dilemma for the Fed.—
Paul Davidson,
USA TODAY,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That is the predicament Leicester have found themselves in for the last three seasons.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
4 Feb. 2025
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Was That a 900 or 1080 on the Halfpipe? X Games Can Now Ask A.I. Image The predicament of Yitzhak Horn embodied the conflict that many feel on the Israeli left.—
Patrick Kingsley,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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While James Beard-finalist chef Pushkar Marathe grew up in India, and his Stage menu does play with lots of chutneys and pickle, his small dishes are inflected with all kinds of global flavors, such as Korean bbq ribs with gochujang sauce and kimchi aioli.—
John Oseid,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
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For me, simple congee with pickles and pork floss was perfect to help with digestion after more than a week of decadent meals.—
Amber Gibson,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But the concerns about how the state ended up in the budget hole to begin with, remains central to the blame game.—
Mikenzie Frost,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Jan. 2025
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Listen to this article Harris English finished with a flurry Friday afternoon in the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open, carding birdies on his final three holes for a 6-under 66 and a one-stroke lead over Andrew Novak heading into Saturday’s final round.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But in the global south, the publish-or-perish edict runs up against underdeveloped research infrastructures and education systems, leaving scientists in a bind.—
Guillaume Cabanac,
The Conversation,
29 Jan. 2025
-
While uncertainty swirls, Scopa said the new administration could present an opportunity to make the federal fire services more efficient, but says a hiring freeze would put them in a bind, with many critical senior positions unfilled as fires continue to consume large swaths of California.—
Harriet Blair Rowan,
The Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Of course, not everyone who had these concerns went down the Q rabbit hole.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
31 Jan. 2025
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But the quest for knowledge took me down a warm and wonderful rabbit hole for this, the last in our National Soup Month series for 2025 (and on a day that began with 40 degree temps, yikes!).—
Amy Drew Thompson,
Orlando Sentinel,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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When draining the swamp, bring a map and flashlight.—
Matthew Continetti,
National Review,
1 Feb. 2025
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In a Napolitan News Service survey shared with Secrets, voters signaled support for the president’s moves to halt foreign aid, secure the border, and drain the swamp.—
Paul Bedard,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
29 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near sticky wicket
Cite this Entry
“Sticky wicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sticky%20wicket. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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