the buck stops here

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the statement that final responsibility rests with the person speaking — that they are the ultimate decision-maker and cannot pass accountability further up the chain of command; the phrase is associated with US President Harry Truman, who kept a sign with this inscription on his desk in the Oval Office; the buck derives from an older poker expression in which a marker (buck) was passed to indicate whose turn it was to deal, and passing the buck meant deflecting responsibility; in fiscal and organisational contexts the phrase insists that someone must own the consequences of decisions and that effective leadership requires accepting, rather than deflecting, ultimate accountability for outcomes