tar baby
Plural
tar babies
1
a problem that becomes more difficult to deal with the more one tries to solve 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.
- The politician found himself entangled in a tar baby of scandals and controversies, making it challenging for him to restore his reputation.
- 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.
- Sarah realized that her addiction to gambling had become a tar baby; the more she tried to quit, the deeper she got sucked into the destructive cycle.
- The legal dispute turned into a tar baby for both parties involved, dragging on for years and draining their resources.