pattern

Difficulty - Troublemaking

Explore English idioms that relate to troublemaking, including "cross the bear" and "recipe for disaster".

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English idioms related to Difficulty
apple of discord

a thing that is the source of a trouble, particularly by making people argue over it

Ex: The old house became the apple of discord between the siblings. 
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to [dig] {oneself} into a hole

to do something that gets oneself stuck into a difficulty

Ex: He dug himself into a hole by lying about the missing money. 
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recipe for disaster

something that most likely results in great problems

Ex: Mixing alcohol and driving is a recipe for disaster. 
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to [rock] the boat

to provoke problems with something that one does or says

Ex: Don't rock the boat right before the contract is signed. 
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can of worms
can of worms
[phrase]

something that when someone tries to deal with it causes many problems

Ex: The audit opened a can of worms no one was ready for. 
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the fat [is] in the fire

said when an action has inevitable consequences

Ex: Once the email went to the whole company, the fat was in the fire. 
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hornet's nest

a situation that is very difficult or unpleasant to be in, often because people are really angry or upset over something

Ex: The new parking rule turned the office into a hornet's nest. 
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[cross] to bear

a difficult situation that one cannot change or escape from

Ex: His illness is a cross to bear, but he rarely complains. 
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more kicks than halfpence

a situation in which a person is subjected to more trouble instead of a positive outcome

Ex: The freelance job turned out to be more kicks than halfpence. 
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through the mill

in a situation that is extremely difficult to go through

Ex: She's been through the mill since the divorce. 
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(shit|stuff) [hit] the fan

used for stating that a lot of problems and arguments will occur when someone becomes aware of something

Ex: When the boss finds out about the missing files, the shit will hit the fan. 
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bane of {one's} (life|existence)

a person or thing that brings one misfortune or unhappiness

Ex: Mosquitoes are the bane of my existence every summer. 
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the fat [hit] the fire

used to describe a situation that was already bad has suddenly become worse

Ex: The server was already slow, and when the payment system crashed, the fat hit the fire. 
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to [spell] (trouble|danger)

to indicate or suggest that a situation or action is likely to lead to problems

Ex: A sudden drop in sales could spell trouble for the company. 
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