be up a/the creek (without a paddle)
(redirected from are up a creek without a paddle)be up a/the creek (without a paddle)
slang To be in a challenging or troublesome situation, especially one that cannot be easily resolved. I have no savings, so if I get fired from my job, I'll be up the creek without a paddle. Shouldn't we stop for gas? We'll be up a creek if the car dies on that desolate road ahead.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
be up the creek without a paddle
be in severe difficulty, usually with no means of extricating yourself from it. informalOften shortened to be up the creek , this expression is recorded in the mid 20th century as military slang for ‘lost’ (for example, while on a patrol).
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