From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
dire straits pl (plural only)
- A difficult position.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:difficult situation
After being shipwrecked on the island, we were in dire straits.
2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 50:"I understand the country is in dire straits and has a £2 trillion national debt. […] "
difficult position
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 水深火熱／水深火热 (zh) (shuǐshēnhuǒrè)
- Dutch: in het nauw
- Finnish: vaikeudet pl, hankaluudet pl; ahtaalla (adverb: in dire straits); kiipeli (fi) (informal)
- French: mauvaise passe (fr) f
- German: furchtbare Notlage f, große Not f, schlimme Lage f
- Hungarian: szükséghelyzet (hu)
- Japanese: 四苦八苦 (ja) (しくはっく, shikuhakku)
- Norwegian: urent farvann n, store vanskeligheter
- Polish: tarapaty (pl) nvir
- Portuguese: apuro (pt) m, aperto (pt) m, saia justa (pt) (slang), maus lençóis m pl (informal)
- Romanian: situație disperată f
- Russian: отча́янное положе́ние n (otčájannoje položénije), бе́дственное положе́ние n (bédstvennoje položénije), больша́я беда́ f (bolʹšája bedá)
- Serbo-Croatian: u škripcu
- Spanish: gran aprieto
- Swedish: trångmål (sv)
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