in a bind

Idioms  

1. Also,. In a difficult, threatening, or embarrassing position; also, unable to solve a dilemma. For example, He's put us in a bind: we can't refuse, but at the same time we can't fill the order, or Jim's in a box; he can't afford to pay what he owes us, or He quit without giving notice and now we're really in a hole, or We always end up in a jam during the holiday season, or He's in a tight corner with those new customers, or We'll be in a tight spot unless we can find another thousand dollars. All these colloquial terms allude to places from which one can't easily extricate oneself. The phrase using bind was first recorded in 1851; box, 1865; jam, 1914; tight spot, 1852. Also see in a fix.

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Example Sentences

More rarely, I’ll buy books new, though usually only if I’m in a bind and need something to read for a trip.

From Slate

“Machado is caught in a bind,” said Geoff Ramsey, an expert on Venezuela and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

From The Wall Street Journal

This puts victimized taxpayers in a bind, Camp told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch

However, investors are also hyper focused on the companies they think could be put in a bind as the tech continues to perform better and better.

From Barron's

"But it really does put the US automakers in a bind, because nobody else is going to want to buy American cars."

From BBC

Related Words

• belated
• delayed
• delinquent
• overdue
• sluggish