Talking About Difficult Situations – The can, tin or box?

Our marketing team always ends up carrying the __________ when sales drop.

I had only been working on the team for a week when I was thrown in at the deep __________ and had to prepare and deliver a presentation on the project to senior management.

We had spent three weeks working all hours to complete the project plans and get ready for start-up when the boss __________ the bombshell that the project was cancelled.