dire straits saying

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   A label for the saying 'in dire straits', which describes being in a very bad or desperate situation.

   Grammar: Used to talk about the idiom rather than inside a sentence; the idiom itself is 'be in dire straits'.

   Patterns

   • the saying 'in dire straits'
   • the dire straits saying

   The saying 'in dire straits' comes from an old word for a narrow, dangerous channel.

   She used the dire straits saying to describe the team's position after three defeats.

2. 2phraseidiom

   The expression 'in dire straits' itself, meaning to be in serious trouble or difficulty.

   Grammar: Always plural and normally follows 'be': be in dire straits.

   Patterns

   • be in dire straits
   • end up in dire straits
   • put someone in dire straits

   After the storm destroyed the crops, the farmers were in dire straits.

   The club was in dire straits and nearly had to close.

   Rising costs have put many families in dire straits.

Common combinations

be in dire straits

The school is in dire straits after losing half its funding.

end up in dire straits

If you spend everything now, you could end up in dire straits later.

put someone in dire straits

The new tax put many small shops in dire straits.

the saying goes

As the saying goes, they were in dire straits before the rescue came.

Synonyms and how they differ

proverb

A short, well-known saying that gives advice; 'dire straits' is an idiom, not advice.

idiom

A fixed expression whose meaning is not obvious from the words; 'in dire straits' is an idiom.

Word family

dire adjective

Very serious or urgent, as in 'a dire warning'.

strait noun

A narrow sea passage; in the plural, a difficult situation.

Commonly confused: dire straits saying or straight?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dire straits saying”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words