être dans la panade

You use it just like the verb 'to be'. You can say je suis dans la panade or il est dans la panade. It is great for those 'oh no' moments. Use it when your car breaks down. Use it when you lose your wallet. It describes the feeling of being stuck. It is a very flexible idiom for bad luck.

Use this with your friends or family. It is perfect for a text message when you are running late. You can use it at the office with colleagues you trust. It shows you are having a hard time but keeps it human. It is common when talking about money problems. If you cannot pay rent, you are definitely dans la panade.

Do not use this in a very formal job interview. It is a bit too colorful for a CEO you just met. Avoid using it for truly tragic or solemn events. It is for 'trouble', not for deep grief. If you are at a fancy gala, maybe choose a more elegant phrase. Don't use it if the problem is tiny, like breaking a nail.

This phrase comes from the 17th century. A panade was a poor man's soup made of bread crusts. It was what you ate when you had nothing else. Over time, the food of the poor became a metaphor for poverty itself. Today, it has expanded to mean any difficult situation. It is a classic piece of French culinary history turned into slang.

You might hear être dans le pétrin, which means being in the kneading trough. Another one is être dans la mouise. Both mean you are in a sticky situation. If you want to be more vulgar, some say être dans la merde. But la panade is much safer and more charming. It sounds a bit old-fashioned but in a cool, vintage way.