Think you know books? Try our new Book Trivia!

Why do we say "The buck stops here"?

Well-Known Expressions

The buck stops here

Meaning:

The person speaking accepts responsibility, and will not pass the blame on to others.

Background:

This expression "the buck stops here" derives from the poker term, "passing the buck." A marker is placed in front of the person whose turn it is to deal; if that person does not choose to deal, they can pass the buck to someone else. Apparently, back in the days of the American frontier, the marker used would be a knife, probably with a buckhorn handle, hence pass the buck.

President Harry S. Truman did not coin the phrase but he did make it famous, keeping a sign on his desk that read on one side "I’m From Missouri," and on the other "The Buck Stops Here." The sign was made at the Federal Reformatory at El Reno, Oklahoma at the behest of Fred A. Canfil, then United States Marshal for the Western District of Missouri and a friend of President Truman. Canfil saw a similar sign while visiting the Reformatory and asked if one could be made for the President. It was duly mailed to Truman on October 2, 1945.

For more on this, and photos of the sign, visit artsandculture.google.com (link opens in a new window).

More expressions and their source

Challenge yourself with BookBrowse Wordplays

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall
A love triangle reveals deadly secrets in this thriller for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
    by Liza Tully

    A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery.

  • Book Jacket

    The Original
    by Nell Stevens

    In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

  • Book Jacket

    Angelica
    by Molly Beer

    A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's influential sister-in-law.

Win This Book
Win These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

"[An] atmospheric tale of unexpected hope." —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author

Enter

Book
Trivia

  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

W the C A the M W P

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.