Episode 313: Pass the Buck

This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Pass the Buck. Bonus: Presidential Slogans, Murderous Masonic Convocations, and Mark Twain's Miner Mumbo vs Preacher Patois

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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 313: Pass the Buck
Record Date: March 29, 2026
Air Date: April 1, 2026

Intro

Shauna:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. 

I’m Shauna Harrison

Dan:
And I’m Dan Pugh

Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.

Opening Hook
Quote
Whatever the task that comes your way,
Just take it as part of your luck.
Look it right square in the eyes, and say,
"This is my task, I'll do it to-day":
Don't pass the buck.
Oh! whether you cook, or whether you fight,
Or whether you trundle a truck,
Just tackle your job and do it right:
Don't pass the buck.
The wheels of the earth have gone, alack!
Deep into war's mire and muck.
If you want to put it again on its track,
Don't shift your load on another man's back:
Don't pass the buck.
End Quote
https://www.poetry.com/poem/10753/passing-the-buck 

That was Passing the Buck by American author and poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox written in the early 1900s. And I think it does a good job of using today’s phrase. 

Meaning
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, pass the buck means:

Quote
to make a scapegoat or dupe of (a person); to shift responsibility (to another)
End Quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/buck_n9?tab=meaning_and_use#12657348 

The one thing we can be relatively sure of is that this phrase does not arise from the colloquial reference to the United States’ one-dollar bill. In fact, no one is quite sure why we call the US dollar bill a buck. But there are some theories, and we will explore those in our behind the scene video, available every Friday on our Patreon. That’s patreon.com/bunnytrailspod 

But for our phrase, “pass that buck”, it comes from poker. Which means our phrase has two lives. The first, in poker, and the second as we know the phrase now. 

In poker, it is really difficult to tell how this was meant. I found many sources that said the buck was an item that showed who the dealer was and it was passed from one person to the next. But not a single place that claimed this provided any evidence to back this up. Furthermore, the evidence that I could find, which we will get to soon, indicated that this explanation doesn’t go far enough back in poker’s history to explain the origins. So while it may be factually correct as one step of the phrase, though evidence is lacking, it is likely not the origin. 

1856
Looking at the poker term, in The Conquest of Kansas by Missouri and Her Allies: The History of the Troubles in Kansas, From the Passage of the Organic Act Until the Close of July, 1856. The organic act in this case refers to the The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 which divided the land immediately west of Missouri into two territories, Kansas and Nebraska. This is a several hour history podcast all its own.
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/kansas-nebraska-act

This work The Conquest of Kansas by Missouri and Her Allies  was written by a correspondent of the New York Tribune, William Addison Phillips in 1856. So effectively, this book covered June 1854 - December 1856. Here is one passage from it:

Quote
Nothing occurs to distract us from our monotonous snail’s pace, or attracts our attention, save two dogs, who join us more from interest than glory. At last Buck Creek appears. We think how gladly would we ‘pass’ the Buck as at ‘poker;’ but we are not playing that game now…
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Conquest_of_Kansas/D8s9AI-FVvMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22pass+the+buck%22&pg=PA303&printsec=frontcover 

So it’s clear that buck meant something to do with poker, though it is difficult to be sure what exactly. 

1887
Perhaps the most definitive answer we can give on the word ‘bucks’ in poker comes from this 1887 book Game of Draw Poker by John William Keller. In it, Keller has an entire chapter titled, “The Buck”. Keller says the practice of using a buck arose because some gamblers felt like the jackpot did not happen often enough. And so they:

Quote
… resort to the bold and ludicrous expedient of “passing the buck”. The “buck” is any inanimate object, usually knife or pencil, which is thrown into a jack pot and temporarily taken by the winner of the pot. Whenever the deal reaches the holder of the ‘buck’, a new jack pot must be made. In this way a jack pot is assured at least once in every round of deals and the changes are that it will occur much oftener. While the use of the “buck” is ridiculous in the eyes of a scientific poker player, it is nevertheless productive of much amusement in the game when the chips are of nominal or small value.
End Quote
https://archive.org/details/gameofdrawpoker00kell/page/38/mode/2up?q=buck 

In the previous chapter, Keller discusses the relatively new invention of a jackpot, supposedly named because it could only be opened with a pair of Jacks or better. In this case all players put money into it before the draw. Before the jackpot, players would look at their hands and decide whether or not they wanted to play. With the optional jackpot rule, everyone would ante up before to even play which would raise the reward for the eventual winner. But not everyone liked that idea because it was effectively an entry fee to play. The buck came along to force a person to start a jackpot, thus giving them that responsibility. 

And there we go. Likely as definitive an answer as we are going to get on what the buck was in poker. Later, the concept of everyone anteing into a jackpot became standard, so the idea of this marker passing to the deal makes sense. But there was an earlier version of the phrase that this book talks about, and it appears that is where this phrase’s journey starts. 

With that clear as mud, let’s move onwards to how it is used today. 

1874
On the show, we usually follow a strict chronological order with these, but we are going to go backwards to 1874 to see the first time we could find this phrase used figuratively outside of poker. This is from the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons under the 1874 updates for Massachusetts. It was referencing the goal of creating as many new Chapters as possible. It references the Massachusetts chapter turning over the leadership of one of these new chapters to its own members:

Quote
This, we take it, places the Grand Chapter of the District of Columbia entirely in the shade in regard to Convocations. We were called the Grand Chapter of numerous Convocations now we will pass the buck. 
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Proceedings_of_the_Grand_Lodge_of_Free_a/AYFPAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22pass+the+buck%22&pg=RA1-PA73&printsec=frontcover

In this, no poker or gambling is being referenced. They are simply using a familiar term to indicate passing the responsibility onto the next group. 

1885
Here’s an example from Mark Twain, in his admittedly ludicrous recitation of a conversation. This is the recounting of Buck Fanshaw’s Funeral, and I’m pulling it from the 1885 publication Innocents At Home by Mark Twain. This conversation is between a rough miner and a newly-arrived clergyman. I’ll begin with Scotty, the miner, speaking to the parson. 

Quote
“Are you the duck that runs the gospel-mill next door?” 
“Am I the - pardon me, I believe I do not understand”
With another sigh and a half sob Scotty rejoined:
“Why, you see we are in a bit of trouble, and the boys thought maybe you’d give us a lift, if we’d tackle you - that is , if I’ve got the rights of it, and you’re the head-clerk of the doxology-works next door.” 
“ I am the shepherd in charge of the flock whose fold is next door”
“The which?”
“The spiritual adviser of the little company of believers whose sanctuary adjoins these premises.” 
Scotty scratched his head, reflected for a moment, and then said:
“You ruther hold over me, pard. I reckon I can’t call that hand. Ante and pass the buck.”
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Roughing_it_and_The_innocents_at_home/9-fRhkMoF_oC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22pass+the+buck%22&pg=PA267&printsec=frontcover 

In this case it is clear from the word “ante” that poker is being referenced, but it is a metaphorical usage and not a literal one. 

I’ll also be linking to a 1913 recitation of this story by Harry Humphrey that has been captured for posterity in the United States’ Library of Congress archive.
https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-133049/

Mark Twain was arguably one of the most well-read authors of his day so his usage certainly would have helped introduce the terms to those who didn’t have any association with gambling. 

1906
Here’s another example of the phrase being used - and defined - in the Birmingham Age-Herald out of Alabama, USA dated October 14, 1906. Though it does note the article was originally published in the New York Sun. It is titled, “On Passing the Buck”. Here are the opening sentences:

Quote
Passing the buck, Phillip, said Mr. Gratebar, as applied to our conduct in life, is a somewhat slangy and yet vigorous and it must be admitted no altogether infelicitous substitute for the form ‘evading the responsibility’.
As used in this significance when we say of a man who has been confronted with some situation out of the ordinary that he ‘passed the buck’ we mean that he has evaded the responsibility of setting it himself and shunted it off upon somebody else. 
End Quote
https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn85038485/1906-10-14/ed-1/?sp=37&q=%22pass+the+buck%22&r=0.011,0.966,0.716,0.273,0 

It is always helpful when definitions are included so you know exactly what they meant when they used a phrase. 

1921
Here’s a fun article from The Washington Herald out of Washington, DC, USA dated September 28, 1921 titled, “Men and Women Long on Passing Buck, She Thinks” by Dorothy Dix. Here is the opening paragraph of this article accusing parents of dodging their responsibilities:

Quote
The favorite indoor sport of most people is passing the buck. Which means letting George do it, ducking your own responsibility, putting up to somebody else the disagreeable thing you are too lazy and cowardly to do yourself. 
Everybody does it, men as well as women, but it is a vice to which women are especially addicted. 
The chief reason why women get married is because they want somebody to whom they have a legal right to pass the buck, and they work the privilege for all it is worth. 
End Quote
https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045433/1921-09-28/ed-1/?sp=5&q=%22pass+the+buck%22&r=-0.056,0.184,0.665,0.254,0

Yikes. I think Dorothy is bitter about something. Still, she is using the phrase exactly as we have come to expect: giving the responsibility - and possibly blame - to someone else.

1945
We’ll end this half of the show with a popular sign that was sent to United States President Harry S. Truman in 1945. It features another phrase that comes from “pass the buck”. Here is an excerpt from an article about the sign from the Truman Library online:

Quote
The sign "The Buck Stops Here" that was on President Truman's desk in his White House office was made in the Federal Reformatory at El Reno, Oklahoma. Fred A. Canfil, then United States Marshal for the Western District of Missouri and a friend of Mr. Truman, saw a similar sign while visiting the Reformatory and asked the Warden if a sign like it could be made for President Truman. The sign was made and mailed to the President on October 2, 1945.
…
The saying "the buck stops here" derives from the slang expression "pass the buck" which means passing the responsibility on to someone else.
…
On more than one occasion President Truman referred to the desk sign in public statements. For example, in an address at the National War College on December 19, 1952 Mr. Truman said, "You know, it's easy for the Monday morning quarterback to say what the coach should have done, after the game is over. But when the decision is up before you -- and on my desk I have a motto which says The Buck Stops Here' -- the decision has to be made." In his farewell address to the American people given in January 1953, President Truman referred to this concept very specifically in asserting that, "The President--whoever he is--has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job.
End Quote
https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/trivia/buck-stops-here-sign

I did find it interesting that Truman used the phrase “Monday morning quarterback” in 1952. We’ve done an episode on the phrase armchair quarterback (episode 236) where the phrase originated from rugby, not American football. We didn’t talk about Monday morning quarterback there, but I remember looking into at the time and it seems to have been around since the 1930s. 
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/monday-morning-quarterback_n?tl=true&tab=meaning_and_use 

Up next we have several modern uses to cover and we’ll get to those, right after we say thank you to our sponsors.

A Quick Thank You
Shauna:
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We’ve also got Original Digital Artwork every month, made by ME,
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Plus, you can get awesome name recognition like Pat Rowe and JGP do every episode. 
And our top spot is currently occupied by the amazing Mary Halsig Lopez.

You can join the Bunny Trails community for free at bunny trails pod on Patreon. 

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Modern Uses

1954
I’ll start our modern uses with a song by Irving Berlin. The title does not include our phrase, but it is part of the lyrics. And since this song was specifically written for my favorite Christmas movie, and since I am the one writing this episode, I get to include it here. Gee, I Wish I Was Back in the Army was written in 1954 specifically for the film, White Christmas. Here is an excerpt from the song:

Quote
Gee, I wish I was back in the Army
The Army wasn't really bad at all

Three meals a day
For which you didn't pay
Uniforms for winter, spring and fall

There's a lot to be said for the Army
The life without responsibility

A soldier out of luck
Was really never stuck
There's always someone higher up where you can pass the buck
Oh, gee, I wish I was back in the Army
End Quote
https://www.sheetmusicsinger.com/gee-i-wish-i-was-back-in-the-army/ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4c6AwTrUcg 

Pass the buck here is following our usage. There is always someone higher up to whom you can transfer responsibility.

1996
Passing the Buck: Federalism and Canadian Environmental Policy is a 1996 academic work by Kathryn Harrison. Here is the last paragraph of the synopsis from the publisher: 

Quote
Of particular importance to those in environmental studies, policy planning, political science, and law, Passing the Buck makes an original contribution to the literature of Canadian federalism and environmental policy. It is timely both in light of growing awareness of environmental challenges facing Canada and its examination of how we, and other countries around the world, adapt and rearrange our political systems to cope with large-scale ecological change.
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Passing_the_Buck/_ZQZppw8bz4C?hl=en&gbpv=0

2001 - 2005
Next we have three examples that use the phrase in a mixed metaphor sense. That is, they use the phrase pass the buck, but they are referring to the US dollar bill. 

2001
In the popular TV game show, Price is Right, there is a mini-game called Pass the Buck. It originally aired in 2001, which was the Bob Barker era and has continued on in the Drew Carey era. Here’s how the game works from priceisright.com:

Quote
Two grocery items are shown to the contestant, each with a price. The contestant must pass a dollar bill to the price that is one dollar too low. If correct, the contestant earns an additional pick from a game board. Once the contestant has earned their picks, they select numbers to reveal dollar amounts, a car, or the words “Lose Everything.” After each pick, the contestant may stop the game or risk their winnings to make another pick. 
End Quote
https://priceisright.com/game-page/?id=pass-the-buck 
https://priceisright.fandom.com/wiki/Pass_the_Buck 

2004
Pass the Buck: A Fun Song about the Famous Faces and Places on American Money is a song and a book by Michael Dahl. The book was published in 2004. Here is the synopsis from the publisher:

Quote
Relates the reasons why certain historical places and people have been honored by being depicted on American coins and paper money, interspersed with verses of original song lyrics to be sung to the tune of "This Old Man."
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pass_the_Buck/2w9pgyq82Y4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22pass+the+buck%22&pg=PP1&printsec=frontcover

2005
Pass the Buck is a short film by director Mark Perfetto. Here is the synopsis from IMDB.com:

Quote
A dollar bill is passed through peoples lives from 1969 to the present, examining the social, economic, and political values as they literally and figuratively pass the buck
End Quote
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455673/

We’ll also link to the entire 18ish minute film from the youtube page of the Director of Photography of the film, Dave Speace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7up6VQKbZw 

2007
Here’s an example with the original usage of our phrase. It is the song Pass The Buck by the band Stereophonics off the 2007 album Pull The Pin. Here is the chorus:

Quote
You don't know what it is you got
You don't know where you're going
You don't know what is right from wrong
All that you do is lie so

Just get out of my life
You're passing the buck again
Just hold up your hand and take on the shame
Just get out you're lying again take the blame
Just get out of my life and be a man
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4S-qsoWhXE 

2010
The next one is difficult to tell the way the phrase is being used. Pass the Buck is a song by Brooks Robertson off the album Into the Trees. The song was written and arranged by Laurence Juber. It’s an instrumental song featuring a fingerstyle acoustic guitar. I really enjoyed it, but I’m a fan of instrumental acoustic arrangements. Other than the phrase being used in the name, I couldn’t find anything that gave an indication of what it meant. Still, it is our phrase showing up in popular culture.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfIg4BjR1XU 

Wrap Up
As an adult, I’ve never been one for passing the buck. But I love the phrase. It’s a fun way to indicate just noping out on something and letting it be someone else’s issue. But in real life, I live much closer to Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s words:

Whatever the task that comes your way,
Just take it as part of your luck.
Look it right square in the eyes, and say,
"This is my task, I'll do it to-day":
Don't pass the buck.


Dan:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included, 
reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com

Shauna:
It’s poll time!

Recently we asked our Patrons, if you could trade lives with a fictional character for one day, who would it be?

The results were pretty well split between “a detective or spy”, 
“a fantasy hero”, or “a sci-fi explorer”.

JGP echos everyone's thoughts here - this is difficult!
She says:
Quote
Oh this is so hard to choose! Originally I started to think of all the fantasy heroes who got to meet dragons because dragons are great and I'd love to see one, except for the fact usually meeting a dragon means fighting a dragon which isn't so great. There's also so many amazing scifi explorers and that would mean exploring space except usually the characters in those also end up in protracted space battles and often either dying in them or having many crew members die. So I think I would want to be Nero Wolfe who was a detective but all his clients came to him and he never did any of the legwork on his cases himself so was never in danger so I'd get to spend the day in a wonderful brownstone in 1930s New York City and have a personal chef.
End Quote


Dan:
Glitterfluff adds:
Quote
I think Spensa Nightshade from Skyward would be my top pick. I like the idea of being a fighter pilot who also gets to go on crazy adventures through alternate realities and space. Plus space magic!
End Quote

I can think of versions of every option that I might choose. But I'd definitely go with Sci-Fi - specifically someone from Star Trek because I'd want to explore space. Probably the person who leads away team missions, so I'm thinking Commander William T. Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Shauna:
Jan says:
Quote
Fantasy hero for me. Maybe Skeeve from Robert Asprin’s Myth series or Death from the Discworld (I just like his attitude).
End Quote

I’d go with something fun and ridiculous like Q from Star Trek. He gets to have fun doing all sorts of mischievous things but he can snap his fingers to undo it all and he’s never really in much danger. Plus, it would be cool to go sit on the edge of a black hole and stroll through galaxies. 

If you want to take part in our silly polls, head over to the Patreon. We’d love to hear your take on our weekly poll questions! And it’s free at patreon.com/bunnytrailspod 

Outro 

Shauna:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember, 

Together:
Words belong to their users.