Are Wickets Really Sticky?

With ski season still in full swing I thought I would mention the term wicket. Having grown up skiing and using wickets, the term is so natural to me that I was amazed when I asked a friend if she needed a wicket and she said, "a what???."

Surprisingly to me, the definition of wicket to which I am referring is not listed in any of the popular dictionaries. The only references I could find on the internet to the wicket used by skiers were patent numbers and a Wikipedia entry. From Wikipedia:

"A wicket for skiing (also called a ticket wicket) is a short piece of light gauge, bend-resistant wire formed into shape to loop through the clothing of a skier or snowboarder. It serves as a secure attachment point for a lift ticket, or other proof of payment such as a cross country (nordic) trail pass."

"Wickets were introduced and patented in 1963 by Killington Ski Resort to reduce ticket sharing. Originally lift tickets were stapled over the wire, but this was soon replaced by self-adhesive tickets."

So, is the wicket sticky? No the ski pass is sticky.

Actually, the term sticky wicket is defined by the Free Dictionary as, "a difficult or embarrassing problem or situation." This is based on British slang in reference to the game of cricket according to The online Etymology Dictionary.

And here is the official listing of definitions for wicket from the Free Dictionary:

1. A small door or gate, especially one built into or near a larger one.
2. A small window or opening, often fitted with glass or a grating.
3. A sluice gate for regulating the amount of water in a millrace or canal or for emptying a lock.
4. Sports In cricket:
a. Either of the two sets of three stumps, topped by bails, that forms the target of the bowler and is defended by the batsman.
b. A batsman's innings, which may be terminated by the ball knocking the bails off the stumps.
c. The termination of a batsman's innings.
d. The period during which two batsmen are in together.
e. See pitch
5. Games Any of the small arches, usually made of wire, through which players try to drive their ball in croquet.