dire straits
dire straits · dire straitses
отчаянное положение, бедственное положение, большая беда
furchtbare Notlage, große Not, schlimme Lage
A difficult position or situationA difficult position or situation.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic, plural, plural only)A difficult position or situation.
After being shipwrecked on the island, we were in dire straits.
furchtbare Notlage, große Not, schlimme Lage
отча́янное положе́ниеotčájannoje položénije, бе́дственное положе́ниеbédstvennoje položénije, больша́я беда́bolʹšája bedá
More definitions
- a state of extreme distress
Translations
7 languagesРусский
By meaning 1
difficult position:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
difficult position:
Origin
First use appears c. 1817. See cite below. The phrase stems from nautical terminology, wheFirst use appears c. 1817. See cite below. The phrase stems from nautical terminology, where straits refers to narrow, treacherous passages of water between landmasses, posing serious navigation risks.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: dire straitsesSynonyms
31 synonymsbindB2crossA2difficultyA2dilemmaB2fixA2holeA1jamA2kettleB1pickleB2predicamentB2situationA2spotA1troubleA2ass in a sling
Close in meaning
- a state of extreme distress:desperate straits