in a bind

*in a bind & *in a jam

Fig. in a tight or difficult situation; stuck on a problem. (*Typically: be \in a bind; get [into]\in a bind; find oneself \in a bind.) •

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.

* * *

or[in a box] {adv. phr.}, {informal} Likely to have trouble whether you do one thing or another. * /Sam is in a bind because if he carries home his aunt's groceries, his teacher will be angry because he is late, and if he doesn't, his aunt will complain./ Compare: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, HORNS OF A DILEMMA.