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Glite Dictionary
to dig out of a hole

to dig out of a hole

6.9
To get out of a difficult situation after mistakes or bad luck
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : salir de un aprieto
  • Every time she makes a mistake, she somehow manages to dig out of a hole and improve her situation.

Examples

  • After losing his job, Tom managed to dig out of a hole by starting his own business.

  • It took months of hard work to dig out of a hole financially after the unexpected expenses.

  • Don't worry, you can dig out of a hole!

  • She is trying to dig out of a hole after her last investment failed.

  • After overspending last year, she worked extra hours to dig out of a hole and fix her finances.

  • Following the scandal, the company implemented new strategies to dig out of a hole and regain its reputation.

  • He faced many challenges in his career, but he managed to dig out of a hole and achieve his goals.

Synonyms

to disentangle
vsto dig out of a hole
3 5.8

To free a person or thing from a difficult situation

focuses on recovering after earlier mistakes or bad luck

Antonyms

to get stuck
180 2.2

To be unable to move or continue because something blocks you

stuck with
137 4.6

Having to deal with something unwanted because you have no choice

How Recovered

to thrive
241 3.2
to recover
748 2.5
to dig out of a hole
6.9
to cope
272 2.9
to get by
121 3.1
struggle
466 3.2

Surface Forms

dig out of a hole infinitive
digging out of a hole present participle
digs out of a hole third person singular
dug out of a hole past
dug out of a hole past participle

Morphology

dig + out + of + a + hole

The phrase maps a clear physical image (digging oneself out of a literal hole) onto a figurative situation of escaping difficulty; the connection between 'dig' (effort) + 'out' + 'hole' (a problem-like space) is understandable but relies on a metaphorical extension. A B1 learner who knows the words and sees contextual cues will often infer the recovery meaning, but the figurative use is not purely compositional or guaranteed without context, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Dig out of a hole comes from a simple image: a person trapped in a deep hole who must dig to climb out. So it now means 'to recover' or 'escape from a difficult situation'.