The person speaking accepts responsibility, and will not pass the blame on to others.
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
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
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.
