hot potato

Definition

A child's game in which players pass a ball or other item between them, with the object of avoiding being left holding the item when time expires.

Example Sentences

• "The “lame duck” Johnson Administration, in its final fortnight in office, grappled last week with a diplomatic hot potato in the form of the latest Soviet proposal for a “just and lasting” Middle East peace settlement."
• "How do you handle the work of a woman out on leave, yet not lose a valuable employee down the road? At the same time, companies know this is a hot potato, and they have to do something."
• "Full connectivity returned 72 hours later, but the issue has become a hot potato in the US."