pass the buck, buck the system, bucking the tide, cove, buck the system, all wet, beat the system, ride on sth/sb

These two female GOP senators have been both hailed as heroines and disparaged as defectors. Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski defend their decisions to buck the own party on health care. http://cnn.it/2uj5aPB

Bucking the Tide on the Tuscan Shore

Dave Yoder for The New York Times

The beach in a cove near Portoferraio on Elba, the largest island in the Tuscan Archipelag


School Use For McCain, Palin Rally Bucks Rule
Sen. John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are holding a campaign rally at Fairfax High School tomorrow morning in violation of a school system policy, prompting some teachers and community leaders to question district officials.
(By Tim Craig and Michael Alison Chandler, The Washington Post)



He agreed to give up his seat at Kennedy International Airport in New York last week in exchange for a $400 voucher good toward a future Delta flight and a seat on a later flight, only to find out that his later flight was canceled.
“There’s just so much passing the buck,” Mr. Cox said. “Of course there are things that can’t be controlled, but a flight has a certain amount of seats. It’s pretty simple. If flights are being overbooked, then what does that say about how the airline runs their business?”

Hollywood Cheers Strong Sales

Strong holiday box-office results bucked the recession, giving a solid boost to two studios with a lot riding on expensive films.

buck the system, all wet, beat the system


all wet

Completely wrong, mistaken, as in If you think you can beat the system and win at roulette, you're all wet. The original allusion in this expression is unclear, that is, how moisture or dampness is related to wrongness. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

buck the system

to refuse to follow the rules of an organization

Alex is always looking for ways to buck the system.

(Definition of buck the system from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

ride on sth/sb
phrasal verb
When something important, such as your reputation or money, rides on a particular person or thing, it will be gained or achieved if that person or thing is successful:
The future of the company now rides on the new managing director.
I have a lot of money riding on that horse (= I will win or lose a lot of money if that horse wins or loses the race).
cove (COAST) Show phonetics
noun [C]
a curved part of a coast which partly encloses an area of water; a small bay

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buck the trend
to be noticeably different from the way that a situation is developing generally, especially in connection with financial matters:
This company is the only one to have bucked the trend of a declining industry.
bucking the Tide

I would like to know what does "to buck the tide" means.

I have found it in a psychology text. It is talking about how people usually conforms to what their group of friends say. It says that when one person of the group dare to disagree, that behavior "will help you buck the tide as well".

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buck the system
to refuse to follow the rules of an organization:
Alex is always looking for ways to buck the system.

buck (RESPONSIBILITY) Show phonetics
noun MAINLY DISAPPROVING
pass the buck to blame someone or make them responsible for a problem that you should deal with:
She's always trying to pass the buck and I'm sick of it!

buck-passing Show phonetics
noun [U] MAINLY DISAPPROVING