Sticky wicket
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sticky wicket (or sticky dog, or glue pot) is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance.
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[edit] Origins
The phrase comes from the game of cricket, where it describes a cricket pitch that is in the process of drying after being affected by overnight rain during a multiple day game. A hard crust forms over soft, wet soil. This helps the ball to bite, turn and lift variably."[1] On a sticky wicket, batting is awkward and sometimes hazardous, as the ball will spin, seam and bounce sharply and unpredictably.
In recent decades it has become common practice to cover the cricket pitch overnight and thus the phrase is seldom used in its original meaning.
[edit] Examples of use
An early example of the term can be seen in Bell's Life in London, July 1882: "The ground... was suffering from the effects of recent rain, and once more the Australians found themselves on a sticky wicket."[2]
The Independent used the phrase in a story about the Bank of England "On a sticky wicket, the Governor opts for the forward defensive". The Melbourne Age used the phrase in a headline "WTO on a sticky wicket against Japan's rice bowlers".[3].
The phrase has some currency in North America, despite the relatively low popularity of cricket there. The San Francisco Chronicle used the phrase in a headline "For father and son in "The Match," life's a sticky wicket".[4]. The phrase has made inroads into American popular culture, including in Take out the Trash Day, the 13th episode of the first season of the television drama The West Wing.
[edit] Croquet
In the game of croquet, the phrase "sticky wicket" may refer to a shot that is difficult to make. This usage is confined to the United States.[5]
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Stump the Bearded Wonder No.88", 2004-12-03, BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2007-06-04
- ^ Martin, Gary. "A sticky wicket", phrases.org.uk. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
- ^ WTO on a sticky wicket against Japan's rice bowlers, 2003-09-12, Melbourne Age. Retrieved on 2007-06-04
- ^ For father and son in "The Match," life's a sticky wicket, 2008-01-13, San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-02-08
- ^ Partridge, Eric; Tom Dalzell; Terry Victor (2006). The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. London ; New York: Routledge, p. 1869. ISBN 041525938X.
