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
-
The time to plant fall vegetable crops is just around the corner, which often poses a dilemma for gardeners.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
25 July 2025
-
There are many reasons professional golfers have found themselves in need of a win, but few have encountered the dilemma Max Homa currently faces.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
After announcing their predicament on social media on June 13, fans rallied support.—
Bahar Anooshahr,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
-
Luckily, Wayfair solved this predicament with its new apartment storefront, packed with storage solutions for living in a small space.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
People.com,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
Boca Raton resident Pam Duhamel, who is originally from London, purchases a can of Heinz baked beans, marmite (a yeast extract used as a flavoring), a bottle of Branston squeezable pickle, and a container of Coleman’s mustard.—
Ron Hurtibise,
Sun Sentinel,
19 July 2025
-
Sweet pickles: Varieties like bread-and-butter pickles have sugar and vinegar in the brine, which help to preserve them.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
18 July 2025
Noun
-
Fans can take photos among immersive tableaus from the show, play a larger than life version of Alamo Pong — corn hole but with giant beer cans — and toss rings at Rhinestein’s cowboy boot toss.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 July 2025
-
And the man with a gruesome hole in his body as a result of necrosis.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
While the injury puts the Giants in a bind, manager Bob Melvin told reporters the Giants consider the injury to be minor.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
25 July 2025
-
Such actions — done in the name of good governance and often with significant support from voters — are now leaving Democrats in a bind.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
Ramsey admits that the growing sleep economy has drawn him into a rabbit hole, seeking the most effective sleep tools and hacks.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Fortune,
20 July 2025
-
Kind of this going down the rabbit hole like in Alice in Wonderland.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
16 July 2025
Noun
-
Sinking deeper and deeper into the thick swamp, the exhausted animal was fighting for survival.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
30 July 2025
-
It’s estimated 12,000 alligators live in the swamp, the park says.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sticky wicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sticky%20wicket. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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