in a bind

in a bind

In a particularly difficult or awkward situation, especially one that is not easy to resolve or escape. I'm going to in quite a bind if this loan isn't approved. Sorry I'm late, Fred was in a bind and needed me to drive him home.See also: bind

*in a bind

 and *in a jamFig. in a tight or difficult situation; stuck on a problem. (*Typically: be ~; get [into] ~; find oneself ~.) I'm in a bind. I owe a lot of money. Whenever I get into a jam, I ask my supervisor for help. When things get busy around here, we get in a bind. We could use another helper.See also: bind

in a bind

Also, in a box or hole or jam or tight corner or tight spot . 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. See also: bind

in a ˈbind

(American English) in a difficult situation that you do not know how to get out of: I’d be in a bind without a car. I drive everywhere these days.See also: bind

in a bind

In a difficult or embarrassing position; also, unable to solve a problem. First recorded in 1851, the term alludes to being bound up and hence unable to function. For example, “With donations failing to come in, the opera company found itself in a bind.” There are numerous synonyms for the expression, the most common of which today are in a hole, in a jam, in a tight corner, in a tight spot, in a fix. See also in a pickle; in a pinch.See also: bind