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Glite Dictionary
financial mire

financial mire

7.7
A situation of serious money trouble that is hard to get out of
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : pantano financiero
  • After losing his job, Mark quickly found himself trapped in a financial mire.

Examples

  • The company struggled for years to climb out of its financial mire.

  • Their costly mistakes left them sinking deeper into a financial mire.

  • Don't get stuck in a financial mire!

  • The financial mire of our community requires urgent attention!

  • After losing his job, Mark quickly found himself trapped in a financial mire.

  • The company struggled for years to climb out of its financial mire.

  • Their costly mistakes left them sinking deeper into a financial mire.

Synonyms

in the hole
vsfinancial mire
  • Informal
12 8.0

To owe more money than you have

is wider covering serious financial trouble not limited to owing money
dire straits
vsfinancial mire
  • Informal
11 7.4

A very difficult situation that causes serious money problems

is limited to financial trouble rather than any severe general difficulty

How Serious

financial mire
  • Informal
7.7
in the hole
  • Informal
12 8.0

Surface Forms

financial mire singular
financial mires plural

Morphology

financial + mire

The meaning 'a troublesome situation involving money' is directly and compositionally built from 'financial' (related to money) + 'mire' (a predicament/quagmire). This adjective+noun combination follows a standard, transparent pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Financial mire uses the old image of a mire — a deep, muddy swamp that holds you fast — with financial to point to money problems. So, to be in a financial mire means to be 'stuck' in 'serious money trouble' and hard to get out.