Sticky wicket (or sticky dog, or glue pot) is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance, particularly in cricket.
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Origins
The phrase comes from the game of cricket, where it describes a cricket pitch that is in the process of drying after being affected by moisture. This occurs in two ways - either through rain directly falling on an unprotected pitch, or the pitch "sweating" under more basic types of pitch coverings.
Once the pitch starts to dry, "a hard crust" forms over "over soft, wet soil", which "helps the ball to bite, turn and lift variably".[1] On a sticky wicket, batting is therefore awkward and sometimes hazardous, as the ball will spin, seam, and bounce sharply and unpredictably.
In recent decades[when?], it has become common practice to cover professional cricket pitches overnight and during rain, and thus the phrase is seldom used in its original meaning, except when referring to matches played in the past.[citation needed]
Examples of use
An early example of the term can be seen in Bell's Life in London, July 1882: "The ground... was suffering from the effects of recent rain, and once more the Australians found themselves on a sticky wicket."[2]
The Independent used the phrase in a story about the Bank of England.[3]
The Melbourne Age used the phrase in a headline "WTO on a sticky wicket against Japan's rice bowlers".[4]
The phrase has some currency in North America, despite the relatively low popularity of cricket there. The San Francisco Chronicle used the phrase in a headline "For father and son in 'The Match', life's a sticky wicket".[5]
The phrase has made inroads into American popular culture, including in Take out the Trash Day, the 13th episode of the first season of the television drama The West Wing.[citation needed]
The term was often used in Hogan's Heroes.[citation needed]
Croquet
In the game of croquet, the phrase "sticky wicket" may refer to a shot that is difficult to make. This usage is confined to the United States.[6]
In Music
In the Greg Brown song 'Kokomo,' a lyric references a 'sticky wicket': "...with a sticky wicket and a Greyhound ticket..." In 1984, jazz vocalist Al Jarreau on his High Crime release made a song dedicated to Sticky Wicket. The song details the escapade of a young girl and more suitors than she can handle for her young age.
Notes
- ^ Frindall, Bill (2004-12-03). Stump The Bearded Wonder No 88. BBC Sport, 3 December 2004. Retrieved on 2007-06-04 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/sports_talk/stump_bearders/4066353.stm.
- ^ Martin, Gary (2007). A sticky wicket. The Phrase Finder. Retrieved on 2007-06-04 from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/334550.html.
- ^ Harrison, Michael (2005-08-11). Michael Harrison's Outlook: On a sticky wicket, the Governor opts for the forward defensive prod. The Independent, 11 August 2005. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/michael-harrisons-outlook-on-a-sticky-wicket-the-governor-opts-for-the-forward-defensive-prod-502312.html.
- ^ Nualkhair, Chawadee (2003-09-12). WTO on a sticky wicket against Japan's rice bowlers. Melbourne Age. Retrieved on 2007-06-04 from http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/11/1063268512176.html.
- ^ Nolan, Rachel (2008-01-13). For father and son in "The Match", life's a sticky wicket. San Francisco Chronicle, 13 January 2008. Retrieved on 2008-02-08 from http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/13/RVEGU13MU.DTL.
- ^ Partridge, Eric; Tom Dalzell; Terry Victor (2006). The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. London ; New York: Routledge. pp. 1869. ISBN 041525938X. http://books.google.com/books?id=mAdUqLrKw4YC.
External sources
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