in the hole


In debt; in trouble, especially financial trouble. For example, Joan is too extravagant; she's always in the hole, or Buying all these Christmas presents will put us in the hole for the next few months. [Colloquial; early 1800s] Also see in a bind.

Words Nearby in the hole

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use in the hole in a sentence

  • The next year, again, they are all for Hockley-in-the-Hole and bear-baiting.

    The Chaplain of the Fleet | Walter Besant and James Rice