desperate straits
2
7.4
- noun
:
situaciones desesperadas
- Illinois is in desperate straits, and Madigan has been calling the shots for 30 years; it's not hard to connect the dots between bad policy and bad leadership.
- such desperate straits
- desperate straits right now
Urban working class people who rented their homes and worked in factories found themselves in desperate straits when they lost their jobs and couldn't find new ones.
- Urban working class people who rented their homes and worked in factories found themselves in desperate straits when they lost their jobs and couldn't find new ones.
Examples
-
Tsvetaeva found herself and her family in desperate straits; her literary production was virtually being ignored by the migr community.
Fiction book (1994) -
Urban working class people who rented their homes and worked in factories found themselves in desperate straits when they lost their jobs and couldn't find new ones.
-
Rather, it's it's people who are in desperate straits who seek out help.
-
We are in desperate straits.
Fiction book (1991) -
"A thin excuse for leaving your daughter in desperate straits."
Fiction book (1999) -
"I'm writing to you because we're in desperate straits.
-
Our schools are in desperate straits, despite the best efforts of the state government, and the children are growing up in almost total ignorance of the world of books.
Fiction book (1997) -
These funds are meant to help with veterinarian bills for illnesses and injuries when the owners are in desperate straits.
Blog text (17) -
Maimuna was in desperate straits when I saw her in November and was considered by my research assistants to be among the neediest of the Fulas in the camp.
Academic text (2007) -
During the economic crisis, many families found themselves in desperate straits and needed assistance.
Synonyms
240
3.6
A state of very strong pain, worry or serious trouble
141
3.7
A feeling of no hope that makes someone take big risks
128
3.4
A time of serious difficulty, often with little money or food
98
6.5
A difficult situation that is hard to get out of
81
5.8
A difficult or embarrassing situation that is hard to escape
40
4.5
A time when people have little money and life is hard
21
8.2
A difficult time when people have little money or help
15
6.3
Someone has no help or basic things in a difficult situation
15
7.7
Very close to failure or defeat with little chance to recover
14
6.7
In trouble and needing help to fix a problem
11
7.4
A very difficult situation that causes serious money problems
8
8.2
Left without help at an important time
5
8.1
A difficult situation that is hard to escape
1
9.9
A very bad situation with no way to fix it
1
9.9
To be in a difficult situation with no way out
1
7.2
In a difficult situation with little time or money
A difficult time when someone has little money or many problems
How Serious
∞
3.1
- Informal
11
7.4
2
7.4
41
3.0
∞
1.2
∞
1.0
6
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'desperate' transparently signals extreme difficulty, but the noun 'straits' relies on a less common, somewhat archaic sense ('strait' = hardship) rather than the literal geographic sense, so learners who only know the basic meanings may not infer the phrase. Since part of the meaning is compositional (intensity) but hinges on a less predictable noun sense and idiomatic plural usage, the expression is best judged semi-transparent.
Etymology
Desperate straits comes from old sailors who used straits to mean narrow, dangerous sea passages where a ship could be trapped. So if a ship was in a very desperate spot it was in great danger, and today the phrase means 'a situation of extreme difficulty'.