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| be in desperate strait; be in desperate straits (The banker, threatened with bankruptcy, was in desperate straits. Helene2008); be in desperate strait; be upon one's last legs | |||
| be in dire straits (After being shipwrecked on the island, we were in dire straits.); be in dire straits; be in Hail Mary territory (cnn.com Alex_Odeychuk) | |||
| have one's back against the wall; have one's back to the wall | |||