1 to trap

2 to surround

3 hard-pressed

4 stranded

5 destitute

1 difficult

2 challenging

3 straitened circumstances

4 difficult situation

1 urgent

2 pressing

3 rapid

4 hurried

5 worried

6 to make (sb) anxious

1 tired

2 weary

1 predicament

2 plight

1 riders tired and horses weary (idiom)

2 worn out

3 exhausted

4 spent

5 fatigued

1 lit. the crisis of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation

2 dire straits

1 internal trouble and outside aggression (idiom); in a mess both domestically and abroad

1 a cornered beast will still fight (idiom)

2 to fight like an animal at bay

1 hasty men don't get to eat hot tofu (idiom)

2 one just has to be patient

3 haste will ruin everything