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
-
The dilemma is that each player wants the other side to blink first, but the cost of miscalculation is catastrophic.—
Frank Holmes,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
This dilemma led industries to re-evaluate how to join electrical components.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
This predicament might be worth drastic measures.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
This predicament has been complicated by the president’s unprecedented attempt to influence programming at the wider institution.—
Kelsey Ables,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The drink, created in partnership with Grillo's Pickles, blends real pickle ingredients with electrolytes and Smoothie King’s standard fruit and nutrition base.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
There is a small amount of Gamle Ode Dill Aquavit that amplifies the savory aspect and adds an almost pickle-like element to the drink.—
Aly Walansky,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Rai closed in commanding fashion, playing his final 10 holes in six-under par without a blemish on the scorecard en route to a closing 65 and a three-shot victory at nine-under overall.—
Jeff Goudy,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Some birds also will poke holes in the ground looking for tasty critters.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Analysts have tried to forecast how much academic carnage will result from this demographic bind.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
-
Policymakers are now in bind, caught between coercion from abroad and coercion generated at home.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
For proof, join me on a journey down the statistical rabbit hole (which includes a spoiler or two for the Win Column’s exclusive Bobby Cox Ejection Trivia Challenge.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
-
The fixation leads her down a rabbit hole culminating in the revelation of shocking secrets.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The caller also reported seeing a male individual running into a swamp near the crash site.—
Edie Peffley,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
-
Follow a swamp airboat swerving along a Louisiana bayou.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sticky wicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sticky%20wicket. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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