🗓️ Idiom: Up Against the Wall (adj)
💬 Meaning
- To be in a difficult situation with limited options.
- To feel pressure because you must make a decision or act quickly.
🧠 Example Sentences
- During the interview, I felt up against the wall when they asked for an example I had not prepared.
- The team was up against the wall when the deadline was suddenly moved forward.
- She realised she was up against the wall when the interviewer challenged her answer.
🏛️ Origin
The idiom originally described someone pushed back against a physical wall, unable to move or escape. Over time, it became a metaphor for any situation where a person feels trapped, pressured or forced to respond with limited choices.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank
During the interview, I felt __________ when they asked for a solution I had not practised.
Answer
up against the wall
2. Multiple choice
What does “up against the wall” mean?
a) To have many easy options
b) To be in a difficult situation with pressure
c) To take a break and relax
Answer
b) To be in a difficult situation with pressure
3. Change the sentence using “up against the wall”
“I felt trapped when they kept asking for more examples.”
Answer
I felt up against the wall when they kept asking for more examples.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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