Carry

Etymology

From the ordinary verb carry (to bear a load), given a precise sense in team-based video games — especially MOBAs like Dota and League of Legends, where a “carry” is the player who, once strong, wins the game for the team. It spread to describe any group task saved by one person.

verb · /KAIR-ee/
To single-handedly deliver a win for an underperforming team, doing the decisive share of the work.
What it names
It names the situation where one person’s effort masks everyone else’s: the group succeeds, but only because one member shouldered the outcome. It’s used both admiringly (of the one doing the carrying) and pointedly (of the dead weight being carried).
Example
Let’s be honest, one designer carried that entire pitch while the rest of us watched.
Related idea
More lopsided than to contribute: contributing is doing your share, while carrying is doing everyone else’s too.