ass in a sling

Alternative forms

 * (chiefly UK)

Noun

 * 1)  An uncomfortable personal state of affairs involving injury, defeat, or other trouble, especially a state of affairs resulting from one's own ill-considered actions.
 * 2) * 1977, Smokey and the Bandit (film), screenplay, 10:21 (retrieved 24 July 2015) :
 * I see our asses in a sling if we get caught, that's what I see.

Usage notes

 * Sometimes found in variations having a verb between "ass" and "in a sling", as in: