In the throes
In the midst of, especially of a difficult struggle. For example, The country was in the throes of economic collapse, or We were in the throes of giving a formal dinner when my in-laws arrived. The noun throe, meaning “a severe pang or spasm of pain,” was at first used mainly for such physical events as childbirth or dying. Today it is used both seriously (first example) and more lightly (second example). [ Mid-1800s ]
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- In the toilet
adjective phrase In very dire straits; standing a clear last: Thirty-one years ago, when the Mets were really in the toilet, sportswriters rallied New Yorkers by touting the Mets’ incompetence as symbolic of underdog struggle (1980s+)
- In the tooth
Related Terms long in the tooth
- In the trenches
adjective phrase Suffering the ill effects of a hang-over: looking as hung over as you can get (1940s+)
- In the tub
adjective phrase Bankrupt; ruined; in the dumper (1940s+)
- In the twinkling of an eye
In an instant, as in The breakup of Yugoslavia created many warring nations in the twinkling of an eye. This hyperbolic expression, which alludes to the very brief time it takes for an eye to blink, is heard less often today. [ c. 1300 ]