Pass the Buck

The phrase comes from American poker tables in the mid-19th century. To stop any one player from dealing every hand, and to guard against cheating, the role of dealer rotated around the table, marked by an object placed in front of whoever's turn it was, often a knife with a handle made from buck's horn. That marker became known simply as "the buck." Passing it to the next player meant passing the deal, and with it the responsibilities that came with it. One popular theory holds that a silver dollar coin later served as the marker instead, which may be part of where "buck" as slang for a dollar comes from, though etymologists note several rival theories for that particular leap.