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.
Origin:
1925–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
sticky wicket
 
—n
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)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Sticky wicket is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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Example sentences
The conflict between state and federal drug laws makes this a resin-sticky wicket, indeed.
The problem-it is obvious that this is a pretty sticky wicket.
And both occasionally acknowledge that without the support of their more starchy sidekicks, life would be a sticky wicket indeed.
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