Literal translation
we are in the fish trap
Meaning
we're in a real fix
Explanation
This expression describes a situation of being trapped, embarrassed, with no easy way out, as though stuck fast in a difficulty whose exit cannot be found. The literal image relies on the jambin, a fishing trap, a woven basket built so that fish can enter but, because of its inverted-funnel structure, cannot get back out: once inside, the creature wears itself out searching for an exit that does not exist in the direction of return. Transposed onto a human situation, the image precisely conveys the feeling of being caught in a mechanism, an affair, or a problem where every attempt to get out seems to close in further, exactly like the trapped fish. The plural sian, we are, shows that the difficulty is shared, experienced collectively by a group, a family, or a team facing the trouble together. The register is familiar, used in everyday life to describe a material, financial, or administrative annoyance, with no real physical danger.