sticky wicket

noun

1. Cricket.,  the area of ground around a wicket when it is tacky because of recent rain and therefore does not allow the ball to bounce well.

2. Chiefly British.,  a situation requiring delicate treatment; an awkward situation.

   In telling his wife that he has to be away for a month in Cannes, he'll be batting on a sticky wicket.

sticky wicket

noun

1. a cricket pitch that is rapidly being dried by the sun after rain and is particularly conducive to spin

2. informal,  a difficult or awkward situation (esp in the phrase on a sticky wicket )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sticky wicket¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

"Now, that is proving more of a sticky wicket," she said.

From BBC

“The Supreme Court now is really in a sticky wicket, of historical proportions, of constitutional dimensions, to a degree that I don’t think we’ve ever really seen before,” said Steve Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

From Seattle Times

“It could end up being a very sticky wicket” for some patients to access care, she said.

From Seattle Times

Asteroids are a notoriously sticky wicket.

From Washington Post

This, then, is the sticky wicket.

From Slate