Up A Creek Without A Paddle Meaning & Sentence Examples

Up A Creek Without A Paddle Definition, Sentence Examples

UP A CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE MEANING – Find out what up a creek without a paddle really means. Example sentences of this idiomatic expression can also be found here.

The idiom “up a creek without a paddle” could have come from Haslar Creek in Portsmouth Harbor. During Nelson’s reign, wounded sailors would be sent here for treatment at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, constructed in 1753, where they would either heal or die. The wounded soldiers and ships moored in the Solent would be transported up Haslar Creek by tramline, giving rise to the phrase “up the creek without a paddle.”

Most of these sailors were held prisoner here to prevent them from deserting while receiving treatment. Some of them would sneak via the sewers to reach the creek. They didn’t have a paddle, so this was hopeless. This explains why the phrase has come to refer to being imprisoned, in trouble, or stuck.

Meaning:

being in trouble.
Being in a difficult circumstance.
in a bad circumstance.
in an embarrassing circumstance.
being in a position of extreme difficulty.
being in a position where you have no control over the events and circumstances that surround you.
being at the mercy of events beyond your control.

Here are examples of sentences that use up a creek without a paddle:

My uncle owes people money, leaving him up the creek without a paddle.
If we don’t stop for fuel, we might find ourselves up the creek without a paddle if the motorcycle were to die.
With no savings, being fired will leave me up the creek without a paddle.
You got yourself up the creek without a paddle, so get out of it.

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