in a fix
In a troublesome situation. Boy, I'm really in a fix—I accidentally made plans with two different men tonight! We're in a fix now because the hotel gave our room away! Oh, we're in a fix, all right! Just how are we going to explain this to the boss without getting fired?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*in a fix
Fig. in a bad situation. (*Typically: be ~; get [into] ~.) I really got myself into a fix. I owe a lot of money on my taxes. John is in a fix because he lost his wallet. John got into a fix.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in a fix
Also,
in a pickle or spot . In a difficult or embarrassing situation, in a dilemma. For example,
I was really in a fix when I missed the plane, or
Lost and out of gas-how did we get in such a pickle? or
John had lost all his money in the crap game-now he was in a spot. The first of these colloquial usages dates from the early 1800s;
pickle in the sense of a mess or quandary, sometimes put as
in a pretty pickle, dates from the 1500s;
spot, also put as
in a bad spot or tough spot , dates from the early 1900s. Also see
in a bind;
in deep, def. 2;
in the soup;
in trouble;
on the spot.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
in a fix
INFORMALIf someone is in a fix, they are in a difficult or dangerous situation. He kept turning to me whenever he was in a fix and of course I'd help him out. The government is in a fix over access to the countryside.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012