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Tar baby
01
a problem that becomes more difficult to deal with the more one tries to solve it
Idiom
InformalWhat is the origin of the idiom "tar baby" and when to use it?
The idiom "tar baby" originates from African-American folklore and gained wider recognition through the Uncle Remus stories written by Joel Chandler Harris in the late 19th century. In the stories, the tar baby is a doll made of tar and turpentine used by Br'er Fox to trap Br'er Rabbit. This expression has since evolved to represent a situation or problem that becomes more difficult to handle the more one gets involved with it.
tar baby
n
Example
The legal dispute turned into a tar baby for both parties involved, dragging on for years and draining their resources.
Once I started arguing with my sibling about a trivial matter, it turned into a tar baby, and we couldn't find a way to resolve the issue peacefully.
The company's financial troubles proved to be a tar baby for the new CEO, as each attempt to improve the situation seemed to make it worse.
The politician found himself entangled in a tar baby of scandals and controversies, making it challenging for him to restore his reputation.
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