the.com/straits
Narrow water that sailors fear and idioms borrow for desperation.
means A narrow channel of sea connecting two larger bodies of water, or by extension a difficult, pressured situation.
from From Latin strictus, drawn tight, via Old French estreit, narrow — the same root that pulls a corset and a strict teacher.
Dire usageTrouble narrows your options like a channel narrows a ship.
GibraltarJust 14 km wide, choking the Mediterranean's only Atlantic door.
Singular ghostA strait is one place; straits often means metaphorical bad luck.