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
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
In contrast, altering and editing an image can be a much more nuanced process that makes determining what part is from humans a sticky wicket.
—Drew McLellan, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
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
In contrast, altering and editing an image can be a much more nuanced process that makes determining what part is from humans a sticky wicket.
—Drew McLellan, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sticky wicket
Noun
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The feed surfaces chats containing legal dilemmas, therapy discussions, and deeply personal confessions, often linked to real accounts.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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The dilemma GenAI faces is similar to past hyped technology cycles like IoT or blockchain.—
Leonard Lee,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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Christopher Boyle of New York County Defender Services and one of Bernier’s lawyers said anecdotally there are many others on Rikers Island in a similar predicament.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
-
Rodriguez discussed Rose's predicament in an interview on New York City's WFAN radio last week, and made a startling claim about baseball's all-time hits leader.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
Stir together mayonnaise, pickle juice, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
30 June 2025
-
Served with baby potatoes, bread, and mixed pickles, a fondue is the perfect way to warm up after a day on the slopes or hiking through the valley.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
22 June 2025
Noun
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Fuller was then released in February, and the Dolphins still have a major hole for starting-caliber cornerbacks ahead of nickel Kader Kohou after the draft.—
David Furones,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
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Now that hole is being filled with full service, amenitized buildings and a public park along the two mile canal.—
Shimon Shkury,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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Other Republicans say the bill doesn’t go far enough to reduce spending and are pushing for deeper cuts, putting their party's leadership in a bind.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
-
Trump and his national security team find themselves in a bind.—
Jennifer Kavanagh,
Foreign Affairs,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
That sent me spiraling into another Google rabbit hole.—
Kelli Acciardo,
Allure,
24 June 2025
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But that immediate attraction to her gross-out humor led him and others down a rabbit hole of material she’s cultivated for years.—
Nate Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2025
Noun
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That was soon followed by airborne training and then Ranger school, a notoriously grueling nine-week program that includes three weeks each at Fort Benning, in the mountains of Georgia, and in the swamps of Florida.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
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Supporters cheered a Republican president who promised to finally drain the swamp.—
Bennet Goldstein,
jsonline.com,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sticky wicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sticky%20wicket. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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