n.literally a small amount of
space in which something is closely packed. The
term is used figuratively to mean one is "compressed" or "squeezed" by circumstances and has little room to move or maneuver, thus denoting a difficult or
dangerous situation that is
hard to deal with or succeed in and which often has conflicting obligations to it.
(figurative) an unfruitful, embarrassing, disastrous or
dangerous situation from which one will have difficulty extracting oneself or succeeding; a
situation in which one
needs assistance,
luck or all one's
ingenuity to extract oneself or succeed; a potentially disastrous
situation.