up the creek without a paddle

A form of up the creek — In trouble; in a difficult situation.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. alternativeAlternative form of up the creek.

    Ian Houlder, a Tory councillor for West Suffolk, said Hancock appeared to be “up the creek without a paddle” in terms of remaining the MP, and so had seemingly decided to go.

    2022 December 7, Peter Walker, quoting Ian Houlder, “Row grows over Matt Hancock’s announcement he is quitting as MP”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2023
Cite this entry
APA

up the creek without a paddle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20the%20creek%20without%20a%20paddle

MLA

“up the creek without a paddle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20the%20creek%20without%20a%20paddle. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “up the creek without a paddle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20the%20creek%20without%20a%20paddle.

Source: up the creek without a paddle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.