Question

in_the_loop_585 to put someone in a difficult situation or to present someone with a difficult choice; to embarrass someone Compare to: over a barrel

Accepted Answer

PUT (SOMEONE) ON THE SPOT I knew John had left work to go to the bank when he wasn’t supposed to, and the boss put me on the spot when he asked if I knew where John was. I didn’t want to lie to the boss, but I didn’t want to get John in trouble either.Their neighbor put them on the spot when she asked to borrow money from them. They liked their neighbor and wanted to stay on good terms with her, but they knew that lending money to a friend frequently leads to disagreement. Conversation

Id	in_the_loop_585
Idiom	PUT (SOMEONE) ON THE SPOT
Definition	to put someone in a difficult situation or to present someone with a difficult choice; to embarrass someone
Examples	I knew John had left work to go to the bank when he wasn’t supposed to, and the boss put me on the spot when he asked if I knew where John was. I didn’t want to lie to the boss, but I didn’t want to get John in trouble either. Their neighbor put them on the spot when she asked to borrow money from them. They liked their neighbor and wanted to stay on good terms with her, but they knew that lending money to a friend frequently leads to disagreement.
Cross-Refs	Compare to: over a barrel
Category	Conversation

Put I Spot Knew John Difficult Asked Didn’t