"pass the buck" = "책임을 전가하다"

 

"pass the buck"은
"(남에게) 책임을 전가하다" 

라는 뜻을 가진 

이디엄입니다.

 

아래 대화를 통해 그 사용법과

다른 이디엄을 익혀봅시다.

 

 

---

 

 

Dave: Did you get up on the wrong side

of the bed this morning?

 

(get up one the wrong side of the bed:

 기분 나쁘게 하루를 시작하다)

 

 

 

Gloria: No. I'm out of sorts because I can't find

the nincompoop who botched up the report.

 

(out of sorts: 기분이 언짢은)

 

(nincompoop: 멍청이)

 

(botch up: ~을 망치다)

 

 

 

Dave: What happened?

 

 

 

Gloria: I asked for a rough estimate

but it was way off base.

 

(rough: 대충의, 개략적인)

 

(off base: 빗나간)

 

 

 

Dave: So now you can't pin anyone down

because they're all passing the buck.*

 

(pin someone down: 누구에게 사실을

말하게 하거나 어떤 것에 대하여

동의하게 하다, 알아내다)

 

 

 

Gloria: Right. Next time I'll put

everything in black and white.

 

(in black and white: 글로, 인쇄된)

 

 

 

---

 

 

---

* pass the buck

 

=

 

to blame someone or

make them responsible for a problem

that you should deal with

 

(당신이 처리해야 하는 문제에 대해

다른 사람을 비난하거나

그 사람에게 책임을 지우다)

---

 

(예문)

 

She's always trying to pass the buck

and I'm sick of it!

 

(그녀는 항상 책임을 전가하려고 해서

난 그것에 넌더리 나!)

 

<자료: Cambridge Dictionary>

 

 

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Excerse 1  Complete the sentences

with the correct idiom.

 

 

a) get up on the wrong side of the bed

b) in black and white,  c) out of sorts,

d) nincompoop,  e) botched up,

f) passing the buck,  g) pin him down,

h) off base,  i) rough

 

 

1. Don't believe everything you see ________.

 

2. You are in a bed mood today.

Did you _______________?

 

3. He gets annoyed so quickly.

I don't understand why he's ________.

 

4. He made a mistake on the payroll and

_______ everyone's paycheck.

 

5. He doesn't know how to act well

around people. He's a __________.

 

6. Do you think I only paid $100 for

this gold necklace? You're way _______ .

 

7. Nobody is claiming responsibility

for their actions. They're all _________.

 

8. I know you're not sure when you can have

the report ready, but give me a _____ idea.

 

9. He won't give you a direct answer

unless you _________.

 

 

 

Answers

 

1. b,  2. a,  3. c,  4. e,  5. d,

6. h,  7. f,  8. i,  9. g

 

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Excerse 2  Rewrite the phrase in italics,

using the proper idiomatic expression.

 

 

1. I don't want a verbal agreement.

I want to see it written.

 

2. He's in a bad mood.

 

3. He made some bad mistakes

in his career.

 

4. Why is he always irritable ?

 

5. When will the project be finished?

I need an approximate date.

 

6. I can't get the information I need.

Everyone keeps sending me to

another department.

 

7. When I asked him if I could buy

a good fur coat for $500, he told me

I was far from the right cost.

 

8. I don't want him to help us with

the project because he is a fool.

 

9. She never gets a chance to see him

unless she makes him agree to

a date ahead of time.

 

 

Answers

 

1. in black and white, 

2. He got up on the wrong side of

the bed or He's out of sorts, 

3. botched up his career

4. out of sorts,  5. a rough 

6. passing the buck,

7. way off base,  8. a nincompoop,

9. pins him down to