quagmire
A quagmire is a dangerous place, like the muddy shoreline of a pond. Because it’s so hard to climb out of a quagmire, the word has also come to also mean any difficult or sticky situation you find yourself in.
Long ago, quag was a synonym for “bog” or “marsh,” a swampy area where water seems to sit instead of drain out. Mire is another word to describe such a place. As a verb mire means “stuck,” like someone who’s mired in quicksand or mired in work — both prevent you from going anywhere. In a quagmire, you get stuck physically — or, even more commonly, in a situation that is hard to escape because there is no easy solution.
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a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
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a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
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synonyms:
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types:
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care
a cause for feeling concern
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box, corner
a predicament from which a skillful or graceful escape is impossible
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hot water
a dangerous or distressing predicament
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type of:
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difficulty
a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one’s ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome
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care