troubled waters
troubled waters
Meaning | Synonyms
- a difficult phase of life
- a time filled with problems
- falling into a confusing situation
- a panicky condition
- a chaotic situation
- a bad experience
- a circumstance charged with stress
Example Sentences
- The situation was getting worse, but like all the other members of the company, he was fascinated by troubled waters.
- Marry worked hard for her business to flourish, but it has been in troubled waters for 5 months.
- Stay away from those who try to fish in troubled waters.
- Your irresponsible behavior would have brought us all into troubled waters.
- It was pretty hard to pour oil upon troubled waters, but Jack was brave enough to do that.
- It's not good to enter the troubled waters of sectarianism.
Origin
In the history of English literature, we have seen it to be used as an idiom with other phrases such as ‘bridge over troubled waters' which means to provide relief, ‘fish in troubled waters' which means indulging ourselves into a dangerous situation and ‘to pour oil on troubled waters' which means settling down the disputes between the two parties.
Kindly share your thoughts about its origin in comments below.