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Difficulty - Facing Unpleasantness

Explore English idioms that relate to facing unpleasantness with examples like "bat on a sticky wicket" and "in the eye of the storm".

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English idioms related to Difficulty
yoke around {one’s} neck

a heavy and difficult situation or responsibility that someone has to deal with

Ex: The weight of caring for her ailing parents had become a yoke around her neck, impacting her personal life.
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to [bat|be] on a sticky wicket

to be dealing with a critical or extremely difficult situation

Ex: In the competitive job market, finding a position that matches your qualifications can be like batting on a sticky wicket.
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to [be] in for
to be in for
[phrase]

to be expecting something difficult or undesirable to happen

Ex: Upon receiving the news of the unexpected visit, they knew they were in for a surprise.
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to [batten] down the hatches

to get ready for trouble, difficulty, or danger

Ex: When faced with a family crisis, they knew it was time to batten down the hatches and support each other.
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be a man
be a man
[interjection]

said to man as a way of asking them to behave less emotional, more though, or more responsible in face of difficulties

Ex: When she was tempted to give up , her coach urged her to be a man and finish the race .
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to [catch] a Tartar

to get into a confrontation with a person or thing that is more powerful than what one assumed

Ex: The new teacher thought the students would be easy to manage, but some of them turned out to be Tartars.
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dog's life
dog's life
[phrase]

a miserable life filled with difficulties and misfortune

Ex: The relentless demands of her high-stress job sometimes made her feel as if she had a dog's life.
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to [go] through hell

to experience something that is extremely painful or difficult, particularly for a long time

Ex: He had to go through hell to overcome his addiction and rebuild his life.
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in deep water

in trouble or a very difficult situation

Ex: The legal issues that arose from the contract dispute put the business in deep water, leading to legal battles and financial losses.
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pretty pass

a situation or state that is very undesirable or difficult

Ex: The family 's disagreement over the inheritance had led to a pretty pass, straining their relationships .
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the weight of the world

a worrisome or difficult responsibility or undertaking that is a burden to one

Ex: Coping with the illness of a loved one can make one feel as if they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
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to [put] years on {sb}

(particularly of an event or a difficult situation) to cause a lot of suffering to someone and make them look or feel much older

Ex: Surviving a life-threatening illness has put years on him, but it has also given him a greater appreciation for life.
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to [rear|raise] its (ugly|) head

(of a problem or unpleasant situation) to appear or become noticeable often unexpectedly

Ex: Despite their efforts to resolve the conflict, the dispute between the neighbors reared its head with renewed intensity.
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high and dry
high and dry
[phrase]

(of a person) placed in a difficult situation with little or no resources or help

Ex: His decision to invest all his savings in a risky venture left him high and dry when it failed.
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in the eye of the storm

used to refer to being in the middle of a chaotic or controversial situation while maintaining a sense of control

Ex: The team leader's ability to stay in the eye of the storm during the project's crisis helped guide the group to a successful outcome.
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the party [is] over

used to say that a period of happiness, enjoyment, etc. has come to an end and one's life is going to get back to the state it previously was, if not worse

Ex: With the end of summer vacation, the students understood that the party was over, and they had to return to school.
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bad hair day
bad hair day
[phrase]

a day that is full of incidents and misfortunes

Ex: Today feels like a bad hair day for him, with one mishap after another, from spilling coffee on his shirt to missing the bus.
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face-to-face
face-to-face
[phrase]

in an inevitable confrontation with an unpleasant or difficult situation

Ex: They knew they had to meet face-to-face with their financial struggles and come up with a plan to overcome them.
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to [go] sour
to go sour
[phrase]

(of situations, moods, or relationships) to become unpleasant or unsuccessful

Ex: The once-promising project started to go sour as deadlines were repeatedly missed.
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