View synonyms for

sticky wicket

noun

Cricket.��the area of ground around a wicket when it is tacky because of recent rain and therefore does not allow the ball to bounce well.
Chiefly British.��a situation requiring delicate treatment; an awkward situation.
In telling his wife that he has to be away for a month in Cannes, he'll be batting on a sticky wicket.

sticky wicket

noun

a cricket pitch that is rapidly being dried by the sun after rain and is particularly conducive to spin
informal��a difficult or awkward situation (esp in the phrase on a sticky wicket )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of sticky wicket¹

First recorded in 1925–30

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Now, that is proving more of a sticky wicket," she said.

From

“The Supreme Court now is really in a sticky wicket, of historical proportions, of constitutional dimensions, to a degree that I don’t think we’ve ever really seen before,” said Steve Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

From

“It could end up being a very sticky wicket” for some patients to access care, she said.

From

Asteroids are a notoriously sticky wicket.

From

This, then, is the sticky wicket.

From

sticky rice sticky willie

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