What is an idiom?
An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is different from the literal meanings of its words. “In hot water” has nothing to do with temperature. It means being in trouble.
Idioms are a kind of figurative language, and many began as images that people found vivid enough to keep using. Because the meaning cannot be worked out from the words, learners usually have to meet each idiom and learn it as a unit.
This page collects idioms that describe problems, grouped by the kind of situation. There are far more than 100 such phrases in English, so this is a selection of common ones.
Idioms for being in trouble
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| In hot water | In trouble, often for a mistake | He landed in hot water after missing the deadline. |
| In a pickle | In a difficult or awkward situation | We’re in a pickle now that the supplier has pulled out. |
| In a tight spot | In a situation that is hard to get out of | The company is in a tight spot because payment is due tomorrow. |
| In dire straits | In a very bad or desperate situation | The hospital was in dire straits after its funding was cut. |
| Up the creek without a paddle | In a bad situation with no way to fix it | If the car breaks down here, we’re up the creek without a paddle. |
| Face the music | Accept the consequences of your actions | She had to face the music when the report was late. |
Idioms for difficult or impossible situations
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Between a rock and a hard place | Forced to choose between two unpleasant options | With two bad offers, he felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. |
| Catch-22 | A situation with no way out because of conflicting rules | I need experience to get the job, but I need the job to get experience. It’s a catch-22. |
| Back against the wall | Having very little choice, under pressure | With their backs against the wall, the team accepted the smaller deal. |
| Out of the frying pan, into the fire | Moving from a bad situation to a worse one | Leaving that job for a more stressful one was out of the frying pan, into the fire. |
| The odds are stacked against you | Success looks unlikely | With no funding, the odds were stacked against us. |
“Catch-22” comes from Joseph Heller’s 1961 novel of the same name, which describes this kind of circular trap.
Idioms for hidden or growing problems
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The tip of the iceberg | A small visible part of a much larger problem | The first complaint turned out to be the tip of the iceberg. |
| A can of worms | A problem that opens up many more problems | Asking about the budget opened a can of worms. |
| The elephant in the room | An obvious problem that no one wants to discuss | Everyone ignored the elephant in the room: the project was behind schedule. |
| A vicious cycle | A pattern where one problem makes another worse, which worsens the first | Stress caused poor sleep, and poor sleep caused more stress, a vicious cycle. |
| The last straw | The final problem that makes a situation unbearable | When the train was cancelled again, it was the last straw. |
Idioms for feeling overwhelmed
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| In over your head | Involved in something too difficult to handle | He was in over his head after taking charge of the whole project. |
| At your wit’s end | Out of ideas and patience | After three failed repairs, I was at my wit’s end. |
| Drowning in (work, debt) | Overwhelmed by too much of something | She was drowning in paperwork. |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Take on too much | I think I bit off more than I could chew with three jobs. |
| Going through the wringer | Experiencing a very hard time | She looked exhausted after going through the wringer at work. |
| Stretched thin | Having too many demands on your time or money | The team is stretched thin this quarter. |
Idioms for dealing with problems
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hit a snag | Run into an unexpected obstacle | The project hit a snag when the permit was delayed. |
| Back to square one | Start again after a failure | The test failed, so we’re back to square one. |
| Bite the bullet | Face something unpleasant with courage | I finally bit the bullet and called the bank. |
| Clear the air | Resolve tension by talking openly | They met to clear the air after the argument. |
| Nip it in the bud | Stop a problem early, before it grows | The manager nipped the rumor in the bud. |
| Cross that bridge when you come to it | Deal with a problem only when it happens | We don’t know if it will rain, so we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. |
| A blessing in disguise | Something that seems bad but turns out well | Losing that job was a blessing in disguise. |
“Under the weather” and other health idioms
“Feeling under the weather” means feeling slightly unwell. It is not about a major crisis, but it is a mild kind of problem, and it is a common phrase in everyday talk. For example: I’m feeling under the weather, so I’m staying home today. It is a polite, softened way to say you are sick without giving details.
Tips for using problem idioms
- Check the tone. Some idioms are casual (“up the creek”) and may be too informal for formal writing.
- Don’t mix them. “Out of the frying pan into the creek” confuses two different images.
- Use them sparingly. One or two well-chosen idioms feel natural. A paragraph full of them can sound like a list.
- Keep the form. Most idioms are fixed. “In a hot water” is wrong, while “in hot water” is right.
- Consider your audience. Non-native readers may find idioms hard to follow, so plain language can be safer in instructions and international business writing. Many idioms also depend on shared background, a point explored in cultural metaphor examples.
Idioms often use the same tools as other figures of speech. Many are built from personification or metaphor, as when a problem “stares you in the face.”
Practice: match the idiom
Match each situation to an idiom from the lists above.
- You have to choose between two bad options. (between a rock and a hard place)
- A small complaint turns out to be part of a much bigger problem. (the tip of the iceberg)
- You are out of ideas and tired. (at your wit’s end)
- A plan fails and you start over. (back to square one)
- You’ve done something wrong and will be punished. (in hot water)
Frequently asked questions
Can you explain what an idiom is?
It is a set phrase whose meaning isn’t clear from its individual words, such as “in hot water.”
What does the phrase “feeling under the weather” mean?
It means feeling slightly ill or off.
What are some idioms that describe being in trouble?
In hot water, in a pickle, in a tight spot, in dire straits and up the creek without a paddle are common ones.
What are the 100 idioms and their meanings?
There is no official list of 100. Many websites publish their own, and the tables on this page cover a good number of the most common ones about problems.