up against it

Also found in: Wikipedia.

up against (something)

Having or being likely to face serious problems, stresses, or difficulties. Each year, more and more families are up against debt going into the holiday season. Sorry I haven't been in touch recently, I've just really been up against it in work the last few weeks. This team is undefeated, so we're up against our biggest challenge this season.

See also: up

up against it

Having or likely to face serious problems, stresses, or difficulties. Each year, more and more families find themselves up against it going into the holiday season. Sorry I haven't been in touch recently, I've just really been up against it at work the last few weeks.

See also: up

up against it

INFORMAL

If you are up against it, you have a very difficult problem or situation to deal with. Playing into the wind in the second half, the team were really up against it. You have to help me — I'm really up against it at the moment.

See also: up

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

up against it

facing some serious but unspecified difficulty. informal

See also: up

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

up aˈgainst it

(informal) in a difficult situation: Two of the staff are sick and the order has to be ready for delivery by this evening, so we’re really up against it.

See also: up

up against it

mod. having a personal crisis; having a financial crisis. This is my bad season. I’m really up against it.

See also: up

up against it/the wall

In trouble. This slangy Americanism of the late nineteenth century uses “it” in a general way to mean any kind of difficulty. When “the wall” is substituted, it may refer to the practice of lining criminals up against a wall, or, more likely, of having one’s back to the wall. “I saw I was up against it,” wrote George Ade (Artie, 1896).