Sticky wicket
Encyclopedia
Sticky wicket is a metaphor
used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket
.
. The pitch in cricket
is also known as "the wicket". It can be affected by rain and the sun, causing the ball to bounce unpredictably: a pitch which had been wet would become increasingly difficult to bat on, as it dried out.
Such a pitch was referred to as a "sticky wicket" for a batter because the ball's bounces are unpredictable (such wickets are far less common in cricket since matches stopped being played on uncovered pitches).
The Independent
used the phrase in a story about the Bank of England.
The Melbourne Age used the phrase in a headline "WTO on a sticky wicket against Japan's rice bowlers".
The phrase has some currency in North America, despite the relatively low popularity of cricket there. 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. It was also used in the 2010 American film She's Out of My League
by Kirk, the film's protagonist
. The term was often used in Hogan's Heroes
.
The San Francisco Chronicle
used the phrase in a headline "For father and son in 'The Match', life's a sticky wicket".
The phrase was written on a note hidden under a doughnut given to the character Dicky Randall played by Rex Harrison in the 1940 film Night Train To Munich, directed by Carol Reed.
The phrase was used in the 2008 Paul Gross
film Passchendaele
by Dobson-Hughes (Jim Mezon).
, the phrase "sticky wicket" may refer to a shot that is difficult to make. This usage is confined to the United States.
," 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.
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
Origins
The phrase comes from the game of cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. The pitch in cricket
Cricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
is also known as "the wicket". It can be affected by rain and the sun, causing the ball to bounce unpredictably: a pitch which had been wet would become increasingly difficult to bat on, as it dried out.
Such a pitch was referred to as a "sticky wicket" for a batter because the ball's bounces are unpredictable (such wickets are far less common in cricket since matches stopped being played on uncovered pitches).
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."The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
used the phrase in a story about the Bank of England.
The Melbourne Age used the phrase in a headline "WTO on a sticky wicket against Japan's rice bowlers".
The phrase has some currency in North America, despite the relatively low popularity of cricket there. The phrase has made inroads into American popular culture, including in Take out the Trash Day
Take out the Trash Day
"Take out the Trash Day" is the 13th episode of The West Wing.-Plot:A wide variety of unpleasant issues face the White House staffers on a busy Friday. The main problem comes from increasing calls for Leo McGarry to step down as Chief of Staff...
, the 13th episode of the first season of the television drama The West Wing. It was also used in the 2010 American film She's Out of My League
She's Out of My League
She's Out of My League is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Jim Field Smith and written by Sean Anders and John Morris. The film has, in its starring roles, Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve, and was produced by Jimmy Miller for Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks and filmed in Pittsburgh,...
by Kirk, the film's protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. The term was often used in Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
.
The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
used the phrase in a headline "For father and son in 'The Match', life's a sticky wicket".
The phrase was written on a note hidden under a doughnut given to the character Dicky Randall played by Rex Harrison in the 1940 film Night Train To Munich, directed by Carol Reed.
The phrase was used in the 2008 Paul Gross
Paul Gross
Paul Michael Gross is a Canadian actor, producer, director, singer and writer born in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the television series Due South as well as his 2008 war film Passchendaele, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in...
film Passchendaele
Passchendaele (film)
Passchendaele is a 2008 Canadian war film from Alliance Films, written, co-produced, directed by, and starring Paul Gross. The film, which was shot in Calgary, Alberta, Fort Macleod, Alberta, and in Belgium, focuses on the experiences of a Canadian soldier, Michael Dunne, at the Battle of...
by Dobson-Hughes (Jim Mezon).
Croquet
In the game of croquetCroquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
, the phrase "sticky wicket" may refer to a shot that is difficult to make. This usage is confined to the United States.
Music
In the Greg Brown song "KokomoKokomo
-Places:* Kokomo, Indiana, a city located in Howard County, Indiana, United States, that is also its county seat** Indiana University Kokomo* Kokomo, Mississippi, United States* Kokomo, Hawaii, United States - on the island of Maui...
," a lyric references a 'sticky wicket': "...with a sticky wicket and a Greyhound ticket..."
In 1984, jazz vocalist Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
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.