IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION

 Oppressed: suffering from unfair and cruel treatment by a more powerful person or
government. oprimido
 Deadlocked: if a situation is deadlocked, or if people are deadlocked, there is a serious
disagreement and neither person or group involved in it is willing to change their opinions
or position. Paralizado/bloqueado
 Stuck: unable to solve a problem and continue working. atascado
 Beleaguered: having a lot of problems or criticism to deal with. Con
problemas/asediado/acosado/ sitiado
 Embroiled: involved in a difficult situation. enredado/envuelto
 worse off: in a worse situation than you were before, or than someone else is now. peor
 out of your depth: in a situation that you cannot deal with because it is too difficult or
dangerous. Fuera de alcance/ sin hacer pie en el agua
 in deep trouble
 up against sth/sb : in a very difficult situation, or with a serious problem to deal with.
Viéndose las caras/enfrentado a
 a marked man/woman: a person who is in danger because someone wants to hurt or kill
them marcado
 at/on the receiving end (of something): affected by something unpleasant
 at risk
 back to square one: in the same situation that you were in before you started to do
something, with no progress made.
 battered: having experienced a lot of difficulty maltratado/golpeado
 be done for: to be likely to be punished, hurt, or killed
 between the devil and the deep blue sea: in a difficult situation where you have to
choose between two equally bad things entre la espalda y la pared
 caught: if you are caught between two opposite feelings or actions, you do not know how
to react to something
 distressed: suffering great difficulties because of a lack of money, food, or other basic
things. Consternado/ en apuros
 downtrodden: treated in a cruel or unfair way by someone in a position of power
 embattled: mainly journalism experiencing a lot of problems and likely to be defeated or
destroyed. Asediado/ sitiado
 Enmeshed (in sth): formal involved in a complicated or unpleasant situation that it is
difficult to escape from. Enredado/ implicado
 Hamstring: prevented from doing what you want to do (incapacitar, paralizar; también
signifca músc. Isquiotibial)
 hoist with/by your own petard: suffering as a result of your attempt to harm someone
else. Salir el tiro por la culata
 in a bind: informal in a difficult situation ( en el lio, embrollo)
 in a hole
 in a pickle: in a difficult situation (en un berenjenal)
 in/at/on the front line
 in deep shit/in the shit
 in extremis
 (in) for the high jump: if someone is in for the high jump, they are going to be punished
because they have done something bad or are responsible for something that failed
 in hot water: in trouble because of something that you have done.
 in/into deep water
 in the doghouse: if you are in the doghouse, someone is angry with you because you have
done something wrong
 in the eye of the storm
 in the face of something: in a situation where you have to deal with something
unpleasant or difficult
 in the same boat
 in the throes of something: involved in a difficult or unpleasant situation or activity
 knee-deep adjective: if you are knee-deep in work or problems, you have a lot of work or
problems
 be liable to being something: likely to suffer from something unpleasant. Estar expuesto
 mired: caught in an unpleasant situation that you cannot easily escape from. Quedar
atrapado/ enredarse en
 on a sticky wicket: in a difficult or embarrassing situation
 on the horns of a dilemma: in a situation in which you have to decide between two
equally unpleasant choices
 Over a barrel: if someone has you over a barrel, they know that you are in a difficult
situation and that you will have to do what they want. En un lio, en un problema (si es
have sb over a barrel tener a alguien entre la espada y la pared)
 pushed (for time/money)
 riven: formal a country or organization that is riven by disagreement or other difficulties is
divided by them desgarrado, dividido
 (skating) on thin ice :doing something dangerous, or something that could have an
unpleasant result en la cuerda floja
 stalemated : if people or discussions are stalemated, they are unable to make progress en
un callejon sin salida / punto muerto
 under the cosh: british informal experiencing difficulty or criticism estar defendiendose
continuamente (por ejemplo un equipo de fútbol)
 under the gun
 up a tree: in a very difficult situation en un jardín, dificultades
 up to your neck/ears/eyes in something: involved in a difficult situation, or with more
work to do than you can deal with