sticky wicket
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noun
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.
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.
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Origin of sticky wicket
First recorded in 1925–30
Words nearby sticky wicket
sticky end, sticky-fingered, sticky fingers, Sticky Note, sticky rice, sticky wicket, sticky willie, stiction, Stiegel, Stieglitz, stiff
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for sticky wicket
British Dictionary definitions for sticky wicket
sticky wicket
noun
a cricket pitch that is rapidly being dried by the sun after rain and is particularly conducive to spin
informal a difficult or awkward situation (esp in the phrase on a sticky wicket)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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