experiencing a difficult situation.

As soon as the airlines started to make a profit, they put themselves right back in the soup with a new round of mergers.

Usage notes: often used with right back, as in the example

• attend to someone
• attend to something
• at the back of beyond
• at the back of mind
• at the back of your mind
• at the best of times
• at the bottom of the heap
• at the bottom of the ladder
• at the bottom of the pile
• at the chalkface
• at the coalface
• at the crack of dawn
• at the cutting edge
• at the double
• at the drop of a hat
• at the eleventh hour
• at the end of the day
• at the expense of
• at the expense of something
• at the hands of
• at the hands of someone
• at the helm
• at the helm of
• at the helm of something
• at the latest