grin and bear it
To be as cheerful as possible in pain or trouble; do something without complaining.
The doctor told Mrs. Howard that she had to stop eating sweets if she wanted to lose weight, and she tried to grin and bear it.
If you must have a tooth drilled, all you can do is grin and bear it.
have one's ass in a sling
To be in an uncomfortable predicament; to be in the dog-house; to be at a disadvantage.
Al sure had his ass in a sling when the boss found out about his juggling the account.
in a bad frame of mind
In an unhappy mood.
Make sure the boss is not in a bad frame of mind when you ask him for a raise.
in a bad way
In trouble or likely to have trouble.
If you have only those two girls to help you, you are in a bad way.
Jerry has written only one sentence of his term paper that is due tomorrow, and he knows he is in a bad way.
Mrs. Jones has cancer and is in a bad way.
A new supermarket opened across the street, and the Peters' grocery business was soon in a bad way.
in a big way
As fully as possible; with much ceremony.
Our family celebrates birthdays in a big way.
John likes to entertain his dates in a big way.
in a bind
in a box
Likely to have trouble whether you do one thing or another.
Sam is in a bind because if he carries home his aunt's groceries, his teacher will be angry because he is late, and if he doesn't, his aunt will complain.
in a circle
in circles
go in a circle
go in circles
go around in circles
Without any progress; without getting anywhere; uselessly.
The committee debated for two hours, just talking in circles.
If you don't have a clear aim, you can work a long time and still be going in circles.
He seemed to be working hard, but was just running around in circles.
in a family way
in the family way
Going to have a baby.
Sue and Liz are happy because their mother is in the family way.
The Ferguson children are promising kittens to everyone because their cat is in a family way.