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in / into hot water
/ɪn hˈɑːt wˈɔːɾɚ/
phrase
in a situation that has unpleasant consequences for one
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one's
back against / to the wall
/wˈʌnz bˈæk ɐɡˈɛnst ɔːɹ tə ðə wˈɔːl/
phrase
in a situation where one has little choice to do what they want or need to
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be (way) in over
one's
head
/biː ɪn ˌoʊvɚ wˈʌnz hˈɛd/
phrase
to get involved with something that is too difficult for one to handle or get out of
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behind the eight ball
/bɪhˌaɪnd ðɪ ˈeɪt bˈɔːl/
phrase
in a situation that involves difficulty, particularly one that is worse compared to that of others
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black hole
/blˈæk hˈoʊl/
noun
a difficult state or condition that is not easy to escape from
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the odds / cards are stacked against
sb
/ðə ˈɑːdz kˈɑːɹdz ɑːɹ stˈækt ɐɡˈɛnst ˌɛsbˈiː/
sentence
used to denote that someone has little chance of success in a given situation
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for the best
/fɚðə bˈɛst/
phrase
used for saying that something is going to be of advantage despite causing difficulty at the moment
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in a (pretty) pickle
/ɪn ɐ pɹˈɪɾi pˈɪkəl/
phrase
in a situation that presents a serious problem
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in a (tight) spot
/ɪn ɐ tˈaɪt spˈɑːt/
phrase
in a situation that is difficult to deal with
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in a tight corner
/ɪn ɐ tˈaɪt kˈɔːɹnɚ/
phrase
in a difficult situation, particularly one that is not easy to deal with or get out of
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in dire straits
/ɪn dˈaɪɚ stɹˈeɪts/
phrase
a situation with a lot of difficulties
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in the grip of
sth
/ɪnðə ɡɹˈɪp ʌv ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ/
phrase
used for saying that someone or something is affected or taken over by a very difficult or undesirable situation
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rabbit hole
/ɹˈæbɪt hˈoʊl/
noun
a situation marked by complexity, confusion, or strangeness, which is often difficult to escape from
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through the wringer
/θɹuː ðə ɹˈɪŋɚ/
phrase
in face of many difficulties or sufferings
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troubled waters
/tɹˈʌbəld wˈɔːɾɚz/
phrase
a situation that is filled with a lot of problems, confusion, or disorganization
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up a / the creek (without a paddle)
/ˌʌp ɐ ðə kɹˈiːk wɪðˌaʊt ɐ pˈædəl/
phrase
in a very difficult situation where one gets stuck or which one no longer can fix
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when the chips are down
/wˌɛn ðə tʃˈɪps ɑːɹ dˈaʊn/
phrase
used for referring to the time at which a situation gets really problematic, serious, or challenging
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school of hard knocks
/skˈuːl ʌv hˈɑːɹd nˈɑːks/
phrase
something that is learned through difficult or unpleasant experiences of life
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in the same boat
/ɪnðə sˈeɪm bˈoʊt/
phrase
in an unpleasant or difficult situation as same as what another person is experiencing
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sea legs
/sˈiː lˈɛɡz/
noun
a person's ability to adjust to a new or unfamiliar situation
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to make a man (out) of
sb
/mˌeɪk ɐ mˈæn ˈaʊt ʌv ˌɛsbˈiː/
phrase
(of a difficult situation) to make a man tougher or more responsible
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to fall to pieces
/fˈɔːl tə pˈiːsᵻz/
phrase
to experience a strong emotional or mental struggle, where someone feels overwhelmed, upset, and unable to handle their emotions
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