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A.Word.A.Day--tar baby Pronunciation: WAV or RealAudio tar baby (tahr BAY-bee) noun A situation or problem from which it is virtually impossible to disentangle oneself. [After "Bre'r Rabbit and the Tar Baby," (1879) an Uncle Remus story by Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908).] "Before Johnson fell for the tar baby of Vietnam, Americans believed their Presidents almost always told them the truth." Lance Morrow, Nation: The Whole World Was Watching When the Democrats Last Convened in Chicago, The War Broke Out at Home, Time, 26 Aug 1996. This week's theme: words or phrases from the titles of fictional works. X-Bonus I don't want yes men around me. I want everyone to tell the truth, even if it costs them their jobs. -Samuel Goldwyn

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