Cornered
Meaning
To be trapped in a situation from which escape is difficult or impossible, often leading to a feeling of being threatened or pressured.
Origin
The visceral imagery of being 'cornered' originates from the brutal realities of hunting and animal capture. Imagine a wild animal, relentlessly pursued, finally driven into a physical corner—the tight angle of a fence, a dead-end cave, or a rocky crevice. With no path for retreat, its escape is completely blocked, leaving it with no option but to turn and face its pursuer, often in a desperate fight for survival. This primal scene, where an individual is physically and utterly trapped, profoundly influenced its metaphorical application to human predicaments. By the 19th century, the phrase was firmly rooted in English, vividly describing any situation where a person is psychologically or physically hemmed in, stripped of choices, and forced into a difficult confrontation.
Examples
- The politician felt completely cornered by the relentless questions from the journalists, unable to deflect their inquiries.
- After weeks of hiding, the fugitive was finally cornered by the police in an abandoned warehouse with no way out.