In severe trouble, in awkward position with no easy way out, in serious difficulty

Etymology:

  • This idiom originated in the early 20th century. The expression can be better understood by imagining being a creek far from home or in a rowboat on a river without oar. This situation perfectly explains this idiom.
1,097 Views

I have only a small amount of money for buying a new car, I am up a creek without a paddle.

Submitted on February 25, 2019

Additional definitions for 'Up a Creek without a Paddle':

up a creek without a paddleIn a difficult situation, without any help. Superlative form of up a creek: most up a creek.
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the Up a Creek without a Paddle phrase in other languages:

فوق جدول بدون مجداف

hasta un arroyo sin paleta

un ruisseau sans pagaie

पैडल के बिना एक नाला

su un torrente senza pagaia

non a statione usque ad requisita naturae

een kreek op zonder peddel

до ручья без весла

lên một con lạch không có mái chèo

没有划桨的小溪

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to Up a Creek without a Paddle

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this Up a Creek without a Paddle phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this Up a Creek without a Paddle definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Up a Creek without a Paddle." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/up-a-creek-without-a-paddle_45114>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    Take a page out of her __________.
    A journal
    B book
    C magazine
    D newspaper