The buck stops here

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The famous "The Buck Stops Here" sign from President Harry Truman's desk. The reverse of the sign says "I'm From Missouri".
The famous "The Buck Stops Here" sign from President Harry Truman's desk. The reverse of the sign says "I'm From Missouri".
President Truman with "The Buck Stops Here" sign on his desk
President Truman with "The Buck Stops Here" sign on his desk

"The buck stops here" is a phrase that was popularized by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. It refers to "passing the buck," i.e., handing responsibility to someone else, and the fact that the president has to make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions.

The Buck, a marker or counter, was used to indicate the person whose turn it was to deal in the game of Poker. If the player did not wish to deal he could pass the responsibility by passing the "buck", as the counter came to be called, to the next player

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