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
Of philosophy’s many sticky wickets, consciousness is perhaps the most perplexing.
—
Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
To that, timestamps may prove a sticky wicket for a part of Baldoni’s argument against the Times.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
The other sticky wicket in the Paramount-Skydance merger is Trump’s current lawsuit against CBS News.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
That third spot is a sticky wicket for a team projected to be just outside the top five in the game.
—Eno Sarris, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
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.
—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
Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
To that, timestamps may prove a sticky wicket for a part of Baldoni’s argument against the Times.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
The other sticky wicket in the Paramount-Skydance merger is Trump’s current lawsuit against CBS News.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
That third spot is a sticky wicket for a team projected to be just outside the top five in the game.
—Eno Sarris, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
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.
—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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sticky wicket
Noun
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Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Lawmakers have noticed the dilemma in recent decades, resulting in a handful of states tweaking privacy laws.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And there's no sign that the president is ready to get involved in Georgia's primary on May 19, meaning Republicans there could be on course for a similar predicament.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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And there’s no sign that the president is ready to get involved in Georgia’s primary on May 19, meaning Republicans there could be on course for a similar predicament.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Alex Garcia’s cheeseburger tartare is a mound of rib-eye sliced by hand into dice-sized squares of meat, dressed in a vinaigrette that zips with pickle brine, soy, mustard and even a squirt or two of ketchup.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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To really take your love of all things zesty dill to the next level, the chain is also now offering Miss Vickie’s Spicy Dill Pickle Chips, and recommends layering the chips onto your sandwich for more pickle crunch.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On Monday morning, Brandon Bailey, who flew into LAX from Texas, told The Times that the potential increase will leave a hole in his travel budget.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Days after trading center Garrett Bradbury to Chicago for a fifth-round pick — a solid piece of business with Bradbury entering a contract year but also immediate consequences — the Pats have a hole in their offensive line.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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California operates under a jungle primary system, meaning Calvert and Kim could both advance to the general election, which could put the House Republican campaign arm in a bind.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
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That frustration of that false start was nothing compared to the bind that lay in store.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Finding out involves a rabbit hole of campaign finance documents.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Feb. 2026
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What ensued was a journey down the psychic rabbit hole that would bring him from plant neurobiologists to stream-of-conscious novelists, AI laboratories, and even a Zen Roshi’s cave.—
Nick Hilden,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The wetlands had been sold decades earlier as useless swamp, mostly to unsuspecting northerners with little regard for the powerful benefits that wetlands provide humans.—
Jenny Staletovich,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
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Who is the woman found in the swamp?—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sticky wicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sticky%20wicket. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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