n .
a dangerous, distressing or unpleasant situation 위험하고 비참하며 불쾌한 상황, 곤경, 궁상

• Whenever the heroine finds herself in a seemingly hopeless _____ in an old-fashioned movie -- whether it's being tied to railroad tracks or hanging on to a cliff edge -- it's pretty certain she'll be rescued soon.
• "What a _____ you're in," Claudia observed as she watched her sister cowering in a corner surrounded by rabid dogs.
  "너 곤경에 처해 있구나," 여동생이 광견병에 걸린 개들에게 둘러싸여 잔뜩 움츠리고 있는 것을 보고 클라우디아는 말했다.
• Moved by the _____ of the hostages, the rich man assembled an army of mercenaries to rescue them.
  인질들의 비참한 상황에 연민을 느끼고, 그 부자는 인질들을 구출하기 위해 용병을 모집했다.