Idioms: problems and difficulties

Terms in this deck

• in hot water
  in trouble
• between a rock and a hard place
  facing a difficult choice with no good options
• back against the wall
  in a very difficult situation with few options left
• a can of worms
  a situation that will cause many problems if you deal with it
• the tip of the iceberg
  a small, visible part of a much larger problem
• add fuel to the fire
  to make a bad situation worse
• go from bad to worse
  for a situation to get even worse
• out of the frying pan into the fire
  going from a bad situation to an even worse one
• when it rains it pours
  when problems happen, they seem to happen all at once
• hit a snag
  to encounter an unexpected problem
• a thorn in your side
  a persistent source of annoyance
• at your own risk
  you accept the danger or consequences of doing something
• easier said than done
  something that sounds simple but is actually difficult
• a tough nut to crack
  a difficult problem or person to deal with
• in a bind
  in a difficult situation
• a double-edged sword
  something that has both good and bad effects
• up the creek without a paddle
  in serious trouble with no way to solve it
• dig yourself into a hole
  to make a situation worse through your own actions
• a slippery slope
  a course of action that will likely lead to a worse situation
• jump through hoops
  to go through many difficult steps to achieve something
• the last resort
  the final option when everything else has failed
• face the music
  to accept responsibility and consequences for something
• throw a wrench in the works
  to cause a problem that disrupts a plan
• bite the dust
  to fail or come to an end
• up against it
  facing serious difficulty
• make matters worse
  used to introduce something that makes a bad situation even worse
• a needle in a haystack
  something extremely difficult to find
• a rude awakening
  a sudden and unpleasant realization of the truth
• the calm before the storm
  a peaceful period right before something difficult or chaotic happens
• cross that bridge when we come to it
  to deal with a problem only when it actually happens, not before
• a vicious circle
  a repeating situation where one problem causes another, making things worse