in a tight spot
8
4.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
en un apuro
- After losing his job, he was in a tight spot and had to make some tough decisions.
- put me in a tight spot
- get in a tight spot
- now I'm in a tight spot
Yeah, man, you put me in a tight spot.
- Yeah, man, you put me in a tight spot.
- Increased pressure on disposable income has been putting the consumer in a a tight spot.
Examples
-
All the same, I'm not comfortable backing him 100%, because he's never been in a tight spot where he had to make hard decisions.
Blog text (13) -
The team found themselves in a tight spot during the game when they were down by ten points.
-
Yeah, well she was in a tight spot.
-
We're in a tight spot!
-
We're in a tight spot.
-
And now we're in a tight spot.
Fiction book (2002) -
I know, we're in a tight spot, but we'll manage somehow.
-
You put me in a tight spot here, Cam.
-
I'm just in a tight spot.
-
Should any of you find yourselves in a tight spot, if it's the last thing you do... throw your guns over the side.
Synonyms
197
6.2
A difficult situation with no easy way out
81
5.8
A difficult or embarrassing situation that is hard to escape
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
7
8.3
In trouble and not sure what to do
4
3.7
A difficult situation that is hard to deal with
1
8.3
Unable to manage easily because you have little money or help
1
8.6
A small problem that causes worry and needs help
1
7.2
In a difficult situation with little time or money
In a place where you cannot escape and must face someone
Antonyms
How Difficult
- Informal
9
6.7
- Informal
3
7.2
- Informal
8
4.2
- UK
1
8.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning can be inferred from the constituents only via a metaphorical mapping: 'tight' (narrow, constrained) + 'spot' (place) yields the image of a cramped place and thus a situation that is hard to get out of. This physical-to-figurative shift is common across languages, so learners who know the parts will often guess the sense, but it is not strictly literal or fully predictable without that metaphorical step.
Etymology
In a tight spot comes from the image of someone squeezed into a very small place, a tight spot, so they cannot move or get out easily. That's why it means 'in a difficult situation' or 'hard to get out of'.