Situation Idioms
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Meaning: To be in a difficult situation where every available option has negative consequences.
Example: The manager was in a cleft stick, knowing that either decision would upset someone on the team. Read more ➺
Meaning: Difficult and slow to make progress, requiring sustained effort or patience.
Example: Negotiations over the contract were heavy going, with little progress after hours of discussion. Read more ➺
Meaning: To remind yourself to appreciate the good things in your life, especially when you feel upset or stressed.
Example: When he felt frustrated about work, his mother reminded him to count your blessings and focus on his family and health. Read more ➺
Meaning: To abandon someone who needs help, leaving them in a difficult or helpless situation.
Example: When the project got complicated, he leave in the lurch his teammates by disappearing for two days. Read more ➺
Meaning: Remaining unnoticed until a problem, danger, or event appears.
Example: The thief was lying in wait behind the fence, ready to strike when the guard moved. Read more ➺
Meaning: To put yourself in a situation where you have no good choices left.
Example: After promising to deliver the project early, she painted herself into a corner and had to work all weekend. Read more ➺
Meaning: Immediate contact or close range, especially physical proximity.
Example: The two wrestlers came into close quarters on the mat, leaving no room to escape. Read more ➺
Meaning: Forced to choose between two equally bad or undesirable options.
Example: She found herself on the horns of a dilemma, unsure whether to follow her heart or her family's wishes. Read more ➺
Meaning: To keep hoping even when the situation seems hopeless.
Example: She waited by the phone, hope against hope that her son would call. Read more ➺
Meaning: To start working correctly or successfully.
Example: After weeks of confusion, the project finally began to fall into place. Read more ➺
