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
-
For example, the false dilemma logical fallacy has become a very popular way to persuade people to incorrectly believe there are only two options.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
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While the work’s English title might indicate a sense of amusement or distraction, the Chinese title is an idiom that refers to being caught in a dilemma, like a boat that has left one shore but has not yet reached the other.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Our predicament was worsened by the motor-laden, vertically floating canoe that offered little support and would not be blown or pushed ashore, and by the loss of untethered life cushions and the lack of life jackets.—
Jim Hoagland,
Outdoor Life,
30 Apr. 2026
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Eddie Howe experienced a similar predicament and challenges on the financial front, with a desire for squad rejuvenation.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The iconic pickle-on-a-stick is also a hit with guests looking for something quick and easy.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The menu bears a familiar DNA from chef Misti Norris (formally of Petra and the Beast), with ferments, pickles, and preserves making appearances throughout.—
Nathanael Gassett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The project calls for the company to drill as many as 18 holes down some 1,000 feet into the Earth to collect samples.—
Sarah Raza,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
-
Another early hole The Lightning outplayed the Canadiens for much of the first period but couldn’t score the opening goal.—
Eduardo A. Encina,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Yet with tropical countries approaching the year’s first planting season, prices for key commodity crops haven’t yet budged, putting farmers in a bind.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Years of ignoring improper payments while promoting more program enrollment at all costs have now put the Commonwealth’s taxpayers in a bind.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The ballet troupe’s 25th anniversary production follows Jack and Jill down a rabbit hole, through a cave of wonders and into Neverland, set upon music by Charlie Chaplin, Carl Davis, Carmen DeLeone and Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky.—
Eric E. Harrison,
Arkansas Online,
22 Apr. 2026
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Refreshing your outdoor living space or furnishing a new one, though, can lead you down a whole rabbit hole of options.—
Blake Bakkila,
Architectural Digest,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The wind also died down as warm, humid air settled over the old-growth cypress swamp on which the course was built for much of the round before a breeze returned late in the day.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
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About 65 miles away, firefighters continue battling the massive blaze in Clinch County, where the fire has spread rapidly through dry forest and swamp areas, making containment difficult.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sticky wicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sticky%20wicket. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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