Also,
in a pickle or spot . In a difficult or embarrassing situation, in a dilemma. For example,
I was really in a fix when I missed the plane, or
Lost and out of gas-how did we get in such a pickle? or
John had lost all his money in the crap game-now he was in a spot. The first of these colloquial usages dates from the early 1800s;
pickle in the sense of a mess or quandary, sometimes put as
in a pretty pickle, dates from the 1500s;
spot, also put as
in a bad spot or tough spot , dates from the early 1900s. Also see
in a bind;
in deep, def. 2;
in the soup;
in trouble;
on the spot.