up the creek
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editAmerican English.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Prepositional phrase
edit- (idiomatic) In trouble; in a difficult situation.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:difficult situation
- We'll be up the creek if we lose those files, so we should back them up regularly.
- 1925, John Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer, New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, 3rd section, page 306:
Usage notes
edit- The addition of "without a paddle" in alternative forms is considered by some to suggest an intensification of the difficulty of the situation.
Synonyms
editTranslations
editin trouble — see in trouble
Further reading
edit- “up the creek (without a paddle)”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present