Have your back to/against the wall
To have very serious problems that limit the ways in which you can act:
He owes money to everyone – he really has his back to the wall now.
Cambridge Dictionary
Back against the wall
Meaning
To be in a tough situation with limited options
To be in trouble and not have many ways out
To not have retreat from a bad situation
Example sentences
The company has its back against the wall and if the employees do not help out now, it will be bankrupt soon.
I had my back against the wall, health wise, when i had my first child. But she was the reason why i kept trying to get better.
No one should be in a situation like that, with their back against the wall, fighting with their loved ones.
When you have your back against the wall, you will have no time to realize what went wrong and how you can correct it.
People who have their back against the wall should not be the ones trying to teach others how to run a business.
Origin
The phrase originates from a situation when a person is encountered with a fight with his back against the wall. Possibly in the military, and while he cannot get attacked from the back, he does not have a way of moving forward too without facing the enemy. The only option is to resist in the best possible way and fight until there is a verdict.
1 India’s prostitution villages | DW Documentary
19 jun 2023
Sex work is a way of life for thousands of women in certain marginalized communities in rural India. For many, it is the only way to make money – also due to the Indian caste system and centuries-old prejudices which make it difficult for the families to escape poverty. But winds of change are blowing.
In certain Indian villages, sex work is, in a sense, inherited. Mothers and grandmothers have already worked in the same trade. In the past, they mostly belonged to ethnic groups that worked mainly as performers. The British colonial power criminalized them, and to this day it is especially difficult for the men of these ethnic groups to find regular jobs. Therefore, the female members of the family are often the breadwinners. They are the ones who take out loans, build houses, make important decisions, which is otherwise rare in India. Our reporters Akanksha Saxena and Neerat Kaur looked around the villages – and found signs of hope: The young generation is trying to leave this sad tradition behind and fight for better education and rights.
2 Real India village Life || The way of living and drinking of poor people in the village
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3 Cage The Elephant – Back Against The Wall (Official Video)
4 Mumbai: de helse megalopolis | Volledige documentaire
Back to menu IMPORTANT CONTENT Listening recommended
18 jun 2023 BOMBAY
Het is een van de dichtstbevolkte steden ter wereld met 22 miljoen inwoners, waarvan wordt voorspeld dat dit in 2035 zal toenemen tot 30 miljoen. Mumbai, bijgenaamd ‘de helse metropool’, is een stad in voortdurende ontwikkeling. Maar hoe kunnen stedenbouwkundigen, met miljoenen mensen die in sloppenwijken op waardevol onroerend goed wonen, de tegenstrijdige behoeften van de bevolking in evenwicht brengen?
In Dharavi, de grootste sloppenwijk van Azië, zitten meer dan een miljoen mensen opeengepakt in de sloppenwijk. Maar hoewel de bewoners arm zijn, heerst er een echte dynamiek. Mahesh, 27, is geboren en woont in deze sloppenwijk en zou er nooit meer weggaan. Hij runt een recyclingfabriek en heeft ongeveer 20 mensen in dienst. De ondergrondse economie van Dharavi levert naar schatting 800 miljoen euro per jaar op. Maar het ligt ook op eersteklas onroerend goed in het centrum van Mumbai, dus de toekomst is twijfelachtig.
Elke dag komen er nieuwe torens van glas of beton uit de aarde. Met steun van de gemeente sloopt vastgoedmagnaat Babulal Varma sloppenwijken om luxe appartementen voor de hogere klassen te bouwen. Naarmate de stad zich voortdurend uitbreidt, dringt het door in de omliggende bossen en natuurgebieden, zoals het Sanjay Gandhi-park. De vijftig luipaarden die er wonen, maken regelmatig uitstapjes naar de nieuwe woonwijken. Ze vallen zwerfhonden aan, maar ook de bewoners. Elk jaar worden verschillende mensen gedood door aanvallen van katten. ‘S Nachts patrouilleren boswachters om invallen van luipaarden te voorkomen.
Regie: Marc de La Villardière & Manolo d’Arthuys
5 BOOM! CACTUS IN THE FACE
4 dec 2012
As people are leaving the mall, they swing the door open right into a guy carrying a giant prickly cactus! It smacks into him, and the spines get stuck in his face! A new definition of “face plant” might be in order!
A presentation of JustForLaughsTV, the official Just For Laughs Gags YouTube channel. Home of the funniest, greatest, most amazing, most hilarious, win filled, comedy galore, hidden camera pranks in the world!
23 feb 2023
The Funniest Pranks of All Time! | The Ultimate Prank Compilation 2023 | Epic Pranks That Will Make You Laugh
Public pranks are a hilarious way to make people laugh and have a good time. They can range from the harmless and silly to the elaborate and outrageous. Common public pranks include staging a fake fight or having a fake robbery, placing a fake animal in an unexpected place, staging a fake wedding or funeral, switching signs or logos, planting a fake story in the media, or staging a prank in a public place like a mall or park.