troubled waters1 a difficult situation, especially where there is a lot of disagreement and problems 混乱的局面 We don’t want to enter the troubled waters of race and religion. 我们不想卷入种族和宗教的纷争。
pour oil on troubled waters (=try to make an angry situation calmer) 缓解紧张的局面
troubled waters• This particular fish was very shortly going to find itself in exceedingly troubled waters.• The Oxford oar presented as a momento, will help bail him out of any troubled waters he's yet to encounter.• We don't need to enter the troubled waters of religious truth-claims.• After just half an hour in the pool, it was back to the troubled waters of the Foreign Office. 2 formal a situation that is difficult, dangerous, or unfamiliar 未知的境况/困难情况/隐晦的困境 the uncharted waters of the 21st century 21世纪的未知数