up the creek without a paddle
1
9.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
estar en un aprieto
Examples
-
You know you're up the creek without a paddle.
-
They're really up the creek without a paddle.
Blog text (33) -
After missing the deadline twice, I realized I was up the creek without a paddle.
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When the project failed and we had no backup plan, we found ourselves up the creek without a paddle.
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With no money left for rent and my job in jeopardy, I felt like I was up the creek without a paddle.
Synonyms
15
6.3
Someone has no help or basic things in a difficult situation
15
6.5
Unable to continue because progress has stopped
15
7.7
Very close to failure or defeat with little chance to recover
6
8.5
In trouble and not able to fix the situation
3
9.4
In a difficult situation with no easy way out
2
8.6
To be in a difficult situation with no easy way out
1
7.9
Very involved in a difficult situation with too much to do
1
9.9
To be in a difficult situation with no way out
Deeply stuck in a difficult situation that is hard to leave
A plan or project that goes badly and fails completely
Antonyms
How Difficult
133
2.7
- Informal
1
9.9
- Informal
3
9.4
∞
2.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
up + the + creek + without + a + paddle
The literal components ('creek' = small stream, 'paddle' = means to propel a boat, 'without' = lacking) create a clear image of being stuck and unable to move, so learners can infer a sense of being in trouble. However, the expression is idiomatic and used more broadly to mean serious difficulty or no solution beyond the literal boating scene, so its full conventional meaning is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom up the creek without a paddle comes from the picture of someone in a small boat on a creek with no paddle, so they cannot move or steer and are stuck. That's why it means 'in trouble' and 'with no easy way out'.