Kick the Can Down the Road
To defer a hard decision repeatedly, letting it compound. The can doesn't disappear; it waits, growing, for whoever runs out of road. Frequently that's your successor — which was the plan.
Heard in the wild
“Every budget cycle kicks the roof replacement down the road.”
Tone check: Danger
Deferred-maintenance math is brutal: the can gains interest. Name the future cost out loud and watch the calculus change.