Each week, we try to have a new story. In these stories, we explain English words and expressions. Often, they come from day-to-day events in our lives and become part of the language.
每周我们都会播出一期新节目。在这些节目中，我们会解释英语单词和短语。通常它们都来自我们的日常生活，并成为了语言的一部分。

The expression "pass the buck" is an example. A card game may be the origin of this American expression.
Pass the buck（推卸责任）这句短语就是其中一个例子。这个美式短语的起源可能是一种纸牌游戏。

Gamblers in saloons of the Old West may be responsible for "pass the buck." To understand how we have to learn about the game of poker – then and now.
昔日西部酒吧里的赌徒可能跟pass the buck这个短语有关。为了了解原因，我们必须学习当时和现在的扑克游戏。

In poker, each player, one after another, mixes the playing cards, and then passes them out. They deal them. Back then, an object -- often a Buck knife -- was placed in front of a player whose turn it was to deal.
在扑克游戏中，每个玩家轮流洗牌，然后发牌。那时候，通常把一把巴克刀插到那位轮到发牌的玩家面前。

A man named Hoyt Buck created the Buck knife back in the early 1900s. As a young blacksmith in Kansas, Buck wanted to find a better way to make knife blades stronger and hold their sharp edge longer. He produced his first Buck knife in 1902 and the family company is still making Buck knives today.
一位名为霍伊特·巴克（Hoyt Buck）的男子在二十世纪初创造了巴克刀。作为堪萨斯州的一位年轻铁匠，巴克想要找到一个更好的办法让刀片更加坚固，并让刀锋更长。他在1902年制作出第一把巴克刀，而且这家家族企业今天仍在制造巴克刀。

But let's get back to the poker game.
但是让我们继续回来讲扑克游戏。

Okay, so the person with the marker, or the "buck," in front of them had a decision to make. They could either keep the deal or give it to another player. They would pass the Buck knife, or other similar marker, when they did not want the responsibility of dealing.
所以做了标记，或者说面前插着巴克刀的玩家需要做出决定。他们要么继续发牌，要么把它传给下一位玩家。当他们不想承担发牌责任时，可以把巴克刀或者其它类似标记传下去。

So, today when someone passes the buck, they fail to take responsibility for a problem. They want someone else to solve it.
所以，今天当我们说某人passes the buck时，意思是他们未能承担某个问题的责任。他们希望别人去解决这个问题。

"Pass the buck" led to another American expression. Former President Harry Truman, who enjoyed playing poker, made this one famous.
Pass the buck还导致了另一句美式短语。喜欢玩扑克牌的前总统杜鲁门使这句话变得出名。

A friend of Truman's presented him with a small sign for his White House office. The sign said: "The buck stops here." This meant that Truman was responsible for what happened in the country. The president cannot "pass the buck."
杜鲁门的一位朋友给他的白宫办公室颁发了一个小标牌。标牌上写着：“责任由我来负。”这句话的意思是杜鲁门总统对这个国家负责，总统不能推卸责任。

There are other ways to express the meanings of "pass the buck."
还有其它方式来表达推卸责任这层意思。

You could also say "avoid responsibility" or even "evade responsibility."
你还可以说avoid responsibility甚至是evade responsibility。

If you shift the blame, you try to make someone else take responsibility for something you did. Many work places have these types of people. For whatever reason, they are unable to take responsibility for their mistakes. These types of people try to shift the blame to others.
如果你推卸责任（shift the blame），意思是试图让别人为你做的事情承担责任。许多工作场所都有这类人。不管出于什么原因，他们不能为自己的错误承担责任，这类人试图把责任推卸给别人。

When you evade responsibility, you refuse to own up to something you did. You can also evade responsibility for something you failed to do. However, evading responsibility does not necessarily mean placing it on someone else. "Passing the buck" does – you force someone else to deal with a problem or issue.
当你逃避责任时，你拒绝承认自己犯下的错误（own up to something）。你也可以逃避自己未能做到的事情的责任。然而，逃避责任（evading responsibility）并不一定意味着把锅甩给别人，但是推卸责任（passing the buck）是指甩锅给别人，你强迫他人来解决问题。

Sometimes we simply say we "own it" -- "it" being the mistake. If you "own" something that has gone wrong, you take full responsibility for it. We also say things like, "That's on me!" or "My bad!" These are very casual and common ways of saying, "It's my fault!"
有时候我们只说“我对此负责”（own it），这个it是指错误。如果说你own一些错误，是指你对此承担责任。我们也这样说，“这是我的责任！”（That's on me!）或者“我的错！”（My bad！）这些都是表述“这是我的错”（It's my fault!）的一些非常随意和常见的说法。

Now, let's hear the words and expressions in a short dialogue.
现在让我们来听一段简短对话。

A: Okay, so our meeting with the client is tomorrow at 4 pm. They want to see a mock-up of our interactive web page. I have all the content written. Are you finished with the draft yet?
A：好的，那么我们明天下午四点和客户见面。他们希望看到我们交互式网页的模板。我已经写好了所有内容，你做完草案了吗？

B: Um, Allen is making the draft web page.
B：嗯，艾伦正在做这个交互式网页。

A: He told me that you wanted to do it.
A：他告诉我你想要做这个。

B: I did not say that. My job is to find images and videos. He is trying to pass the buck ... again!
B：我没说过啊。我的工作是找出图片和视频，他又想推卸责任！

A: Yeah, he does that a lot, doesn't he. Well, we need something to show the client tomorrow. Do you have the images?
A：是的，他推卸责任很多次了，是吧。我们明天需要有一些东西展示给客户，你有图片吗？

B: Yeah, they're on this flash drive. Wait. Where is the flash drive?
B：是的，图片在优盘上。等等，优盘呢?

A: I don't know.
A：我不知道啊。

B: Oh man! I do! I left it on the train coming into work today.
B：天啊，我把它留在了今天来上班的火车上。

A: So, let me get this straight. Our meeting with the client is tomorrow afternoon and we don't have a web page or images.
A：让我先搞清楚。我们跟客户的会议是明天下午，我们没有网页和图片。

B: Losing the images is on me. I'll load another flash drive today. But I have nothing to do with the web page!
B：丢了图片是我的责任。我今天会存到另一个优盘上。但是网页跟我没关系。

A: Don't worry about that. I'm project manager. So, ultimately the buck stops with me. You just get me the videos and photos by close of business. I'll take care of the rest.
A：别担心这些。我是项目经理，所以最终责任由我来负。你只需要在下班前把视频和图片给我。我来搞定其它的。

B: Got it!
B：明白了！

And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories.
以上就是本期词汇掌故节目的全部内容。