Social Status - Problems

come up against

sth block sb from doing sth

clutch at straws

in a serious trouble and try many ways to deal

fall into place

be understood and go well

put foot in it

to say something by accident which embarrasses or upsets someone

in dire straits

in a very bad situation that is difficult to fix

dug oneself into a hole

have oneself caused a problem that will be difficult to escape from

spread oneself too thin

trying to do too many things at the same time, with the result that I can't give any of them the attention they need

be left holding the baby

others have left them to deal with the problem alone

over a barrel

put self in difficult situation in which i have no choice what i can do

stumbling block

something that prevents action or agreement

draw a blank

to fail to get an answer or a result

make do

accept, come to terms with something that is second best.

give sth a shot/whirt

give sth a try

get to grips with

to make an effort to understand and deal with a problem or situation

to be on the safe side

to protect self even though it might not be necessary

get to the bottom of

try to discover the truth about something

shed light on

to clarify

bring to light

to make or become widely known or evident

come to light

to become known to people

in the bag

certain to be achieve

the answer to my prayers

something or someone that you have needed for a long time

wave a magic wand

find an easy way to solve a problem

tie up a few loose ends

deal with the last few things that need to be done before something is completed

pick up the pieces

try to return to normal

take the law into one's own hands

take action which should be taken by the police or the courts

have become a law unto oneself

are completely out of control and simply ignore the law

lay down the law

be very firm and clear about the law, and enforce it

carry the can

accept the blame/responsibility alone, even though other people were responsible

get/let sb off the hook

are free/leave sb free from all responsibility or from a difficult situation

leave sb to their own devices

to leave somebody alone to do as they wish, and not tell them what to do

are at/on the receiving end

suffer from/are the target of

are at sb's beck and call

do everything they tell you to do, whenever they tell you to do it

get your own way

to persuade other people to allow you to do what you want

spin doctor

a spokesperson employed to give a favorable interpretation of events to the media, especially on behalf of a political party.

be caught napping

got into trouble because not paying enough attention

go out on a limb

be alone and lacking support from anyone

leave well alone

try not to change or improve something because this might make things worse

panic station

a situation in which people feel worried and nervous because things need to be done quickly

a necessary evil

sth you not like but agree that it must happen, exist

have a narrow escape

just manage to avoid danger or trouble

do sth by the skin of your teeth

to only just manage to do sth

rather/too close for comfort

so close in distance or similar in amount that you are worried or frightened

cut things fine

leave yourself only just enough time to do something

sth sets alarm bells ringing

sth worries you because it is a sign that there may be a problem

take your life in(to) your hands

do something very risky

your life is in sb's hand

that person can affect whether you live or die

hanging by a thread

likely to fail in the near future

on a knife-edge

in a very difficult situation and there are worries about the future