idiom · neutral
up a creek (without a paddle)
/ˌʌp ə ˈkriːk/UP·a·CREEK
in serious trouble or difficulty with no obvious solution
Examples
“After the main sponsor pulled out, the festival organisers were really up a creek without a paddle.”
“If we don't find a new investor soon, the start‑up will be up a creek.”
“When their passports were lost, they were up a creek in a foreign country.”
Band 8 sentence
“When the sole investor withdrew funding at the last minute, the research team was effectively up a creek without a paddle and had to pause the project.”
Collocations
- be up a creek
- find yourself up a creek
Word family
Common mistakes
I'm on a creek.→I'm up a creek.
We are in a creek.→We are up a creek.
Say it for a higher band
5in trouble→6in a difficult situation→7+up a creek (without a paddle)
Synonyms
in trouble
in a tight spot
Easily confused
left high and dry
“After the manager resigned, many junior staff felt left high and dry.”
Related words
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In Hardship
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