get out of a jam
1. To remedy a troublesome or difficult situation. I have to get out of a jam, so is there any chance you can bring me those papers I left at home? I really got out of a jam at work when Jonathan offered to help me finish the report. A: "How is your brother going to get out of a jam with the cops?" B: "Easy—Dad will just go down and pay the police to let him go."
2. To free someone else from a troublesome or difficult situation. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "get" and "out." Any chance you could bring me those papers I left at home? It would really get me out of a jam. He got himself of out a jam by calling his friends for help. I could help get you out of a jam, sure, but not if it involves an angry mob boss!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
get someone out of a jam
Fig. to get someone out of trouble. Thanks for getting my brother out of that jam. How am I going to get myself out of this jam?
get out of a jam
Fig. to get free from a problem or a bad situation. Would you lend me five hundred dollars? I need it to get out of a jam. I need some help getting out of a jam.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.