Francophonie· medium· informal
être dans le pétrin
“to be in the kneading trough”
Meaning
To be in a difficult situation
Explanation
The figurative sense means stuck in a mess or a jam, not simply busy or distracted.
Example
Si la banque refuse le prêt, on est vraiment dans le pétrin.
If the bank turns down the loan, we're really in trouble.
Origin
The word 'pétrin' goes back to the Latin 'pistrinum', a mill or bakery, before it narrowed down to the trough where dough gets kneaded. The figurative sense of being in trouble is on record from 1790.
Source
More like this
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- avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventreTo take on more than one can handle
- courir sur le haricot à quelqu'unto get on someone's nerves