have (your) back against/to the wall

to have very serious problems which limit the ways in which you can act.

With rising labour costs, industry has its back to the wall.

When his back was against the wall he became very aggressive.

• stone's throw
• Stone the crows!
• stool pigeon
• stoop to
• stoop to something
• stop at nothing
• stop at nothing to do
• stop at nothing to do something
• stop by
• stop by somewhere
• stop dead in tracks
• stop dead in your tracks
• stop in their tracks
• stop in tracks
• stop in your tracks
• stop on a dime
• stop over
• stop short
• stop short of
• stop short of doing something
• stop short of something
• stop someone in their tracks
• stop someone in tracks
• stop the rot
• storm in a teacup