What does the saying 'sticky wicket' mean?
If you are on a sticky wicket, you are in a difficult situation.
The playing area between the wickets when it is damp and hence sticky and slow.
A difficult or awkward situation.
The area of ground around a wicket when it is tacky because of recent rain and therefore does not allow a consistent bounce of the ball.
— a cricket pitch that has been drying after rain and is difficult to bat on;
A tricky or awkward situation.
The term is recorded in its literal sense from 1882, in a reference to the.
( cricket) a pitch that has become wet because of rain and therefore on which the ball bounces unpredictably.
( uk, ireland, commonwealth) a difficult or.
A particularly awkward or difficult situation or circumstance.
(generally used with on.
Refers to the pitch, i. e. , wicket, used in the game of cricket and the difficulty of playing.
Meaning of sticky wicket in english.
Noun [ c usually singular ] uk uk / ˌstɪk. i ˈwɪk. ɪt / us / ˌstɪk. i ˈwɪk. ɪt / add to word list.
This is something of a sticky wicket you've got us into.
Related words and phrases.
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) 'sticky.
What's the origin of the phrase 'a sticky wicket'?
A wicket is, of course, the playing surface used in cricket.
This phrase is a direct allusion to the difficulty of playing on a.
The meaning of sticky wicket is a difficult or delicate problem or situation.
How to use sticky wicket in a sentence.
As a metaphor 'to bat (or be) on a sticky wicket' is to contend with great difficulties.
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.
See examples of sticky wicket.
It's a bit of a sticky wicket.
The area of ground around a wicket when it is tacky because of recent rain and therefore does not allow a consistent bounce of the ball.
You can use sticky wicket to describe a difficult or tricky situation that someone finds themselves in.
It emphasizes the challenges and obstacles they are facing.
For example, if a.
A particularly awkward or difficult situation or circumstance.
(generally used with on.
Refers to the pitch, i. e. , wicket, used in the game of cricket and the difficulty of playing on one after it.
Examples of sticky wicket in a sentence, how to use it.
He has nobly realised that his party is on a sticky wicket.
Meaning of sticky wicket in english.
Noun [ c usually singular ] uk us / ˌstɪk. i ˈwɪk. ɪt / uk / ˌstɪk. i ˈwɪk. ɪt / add to word list add to word list.