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
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.
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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
What is a sticky wicket is when partner is subordinate to the other.
—Jenna Reyes, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Jan. 2023
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
What is a sticky wicket is when partner is subordinate to the other.
—Jenna Reyes, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sticky wicket
Noun
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Mars enters Leo today, prompting you to take charge of a project or address a family dilemma.USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2024
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The mercurial billionaire’s fawning support of a Republican candidate who promises to roll back environmental progress is a dilemma for a company whose core buyers identify as climate-conscious Democrats.Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
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President Joe Biden cast his vote for president Monday, and the outgoing commander in chief found himself in the rare predicament of waiting in line.Christian Datoc, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Oct. 2024
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Netto and Schindler take pains to point out the irony of Iris’ predicament: Iris has emerged from the emotionally catatonic state that she’s been in since the day of her son’s accident… just to wind up in a physically catatonic state at the site of her son’s accident.David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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What’s unfortunate is that WWE is in a booking pickle because Gunther and Rhodes could use the momentum-building win at Crown Jewel.Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
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Poached from Chipotle at considerable expense, Niccol is in a pickle.Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The company completed 18 drill holes at MacArthur and four core drill holes at Yerington.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
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At the bottom was a chain-link fence with an enormous hole.Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Noun
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But their story also offers a glimpse into the bind that some nonfiction filmmakers are facing in a cost-cutting, risk-averse market.Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Oct. 2024
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Zelensky’s request for an invitation leaves NATO in a bind.Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Set rules for yourself such as reading or watching the news for 10 minutes in the morning or evening, but don’t go down the clicking rabbit hole of checking the poll predictions every hour of the day. Engage in calming activities.Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
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For those who want to do it, going down the rabbit hole of polls can be a choose-your-own-adventure tale of self-assurance, self-torture, and deep confusion.Philip Elliott, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
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His latest monologue, in contrast, is submerged in the swamp of vintage misogyny.Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
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Fight Club’s insights about the consequences of men rallying around resentment remain apt today, a period in which Donald Trump’s grievance politics and the growing swamp of the manosphere are shaping American masculinity.Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
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 23 Nov. 2024.
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