be/come up against a brick wall
面临不可逾越的障碍；遇上解决不了的难题
- I wondered if I was banging my head against a brick wall.
我怀疑自己是不是在把鸡蛋往石头上碰，徒劳无益。 - I wanted to sort out this problem with him, but it was like banging my head against a brick wall.
我曾想跟他把这个问题给解决了，但结果徒劳无功。
put your foot in it （英式英语）
put your foot in your mouth（美式英语）
无意中说出让人尴尬（或生气）的话
- I really put my foot in my mouth – I asked her if Jane was her mother, but she said Jane is her sister.
我真的让自己无地自容：我问她简是不是她母亲，但是她说简是她姐姐。
in dire straits
身陷绝境
- The American economy remains in dire straits, with one worker in six unemployed or underemployed.
美国经济仍深陷困境，每六个劳工就有一个失业或未充分就业。
dig yourself into a hole
dig a hole for yourself
使自己陷入困境，把自己推入困境
- The party has really dug itself into a hole with its economic policies.
政府的经济政策的确使自己陷入了困境。
spread yourself too thin
同时做太多事情（以致没有足够时间或精力关注任何一个）
- I realized I'd been spreading myself too thin so I resigned as secretary of the golf club.
我意识到我做的事情太多，因此我辞去了高尔夫球俱乐部的秘书一职。
