Question: what is the meaning of the idiom up a tree?
Answer: SEE SYNONYMS FOR up a tree ON THESAURUS.COM. In a difficult situation, as in They found the drugs in his suitcase, so he was up a tree. This expression alludes to an animal, such as a raccoon or squirrel, that climbs a tree for refuge from attackers, which then surround the tree so it cannot come down. [