My idea of someone "being in a jam", or in a tight spot has to do with relationships. One of my sisters is very blunt and never stops to think before she says anything. One of the biggest frustrations is that when it happens, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Getting mad and upset doesn't change anything or make the time go by any faster. As far as my husband sees things, this would be a negative situation. I see it as trying to make to most use of a small space!

Everyone is always in such a hurry, that something like a traffic jam can really make a lot of people upset and angry. I have never known anyone who thinks of being "in a jam" like a traffic jam as a positive thing. When I think of being "in a jam" the first thing that comes to my mind is a traffic jam. I live on the east coast, and you never know what the traffic is going to be like getting anywhere.I try to avoid situations like this because I don't like getting myself in a fix and like things to be calm and easy going. Sorry, but I won't be able to make it to the party this evening. My babysitter is in a jam because her mother got in an accident. Of course, I don’t know much about how to make jam. Maybe the process of making jam involves compacting things together in a way that they are bound and nearly inseparable, I don’t know. All other uses of the phrase in the article seem to make more sense. In my circle of friends, we use "jam" a lot to say different things and we're not talking about strawberry or grape jam. When we play music, we say that we're "jammin'." My brother says he's "goin' to a jam" on the weekends. He uses "jam" instead of house party. Sometimes I use "jam" instead of money, kind of like how "dough" is used. For my sister, I think she functions better when she finds herself in a jam for some reason. One thing is for sure - her life is never boring.

When time is critical and I am trying to get to work, is when we seem to have the most traffic jams. This can really be a frustrating experience when it happens several times a week. This is something that drives my husband crazy because he is always so neat and organized. My purses and gym bag are always jammed full of so much stuff that it can be hard to find anything. David09 - I have made jam a few different times, and also have a hard time seeing how this relates to this expression.My parents have finally decided to help me buy a new car because I've been in a jam so many times when the bus or subway are late. If you really want to be in a jam, in the literal sense, just spend four years in Asia like I did. You will not believe how closely compacted the cars are there! In what other meanings do you folks use "jam" and "to be in a jam?" I'm sure there must be lots of other uses we don't know about. Charred - I don’t really get what jelly jam has to do with this word’s etymology. What does it mean if you say that you’re in a bit of a “fruit jam”? That really doesn’t make sense.

I'm in a real jam . I can't find anyone to work for me tomorrow and I need the whole day to finish up a paper for my English literature class. I mean you can have four lanes worth of cars in a two lane highway. They are inches from each other, and I am not exaggerating. Driving there was one of the worst experiences of my life, and when I could, I simply deferred to the services of a driver and let myself sit in the passenger seat. Because of this, she has been in a lot tight spots that she has had to work her way out of. I keep thinking she will learn her lesson after a while, but there is always a lot of drama going on in her life.I think that is one reason this doesn't bother her. She is afraid she would be too bored if there wasn't something going on to put her in a tight spot. Where were you yesterday? I was in a jam and needed someone to take my dog out and you didn't answer your phone. When something is "in a jam," it could be quite literal like a car jam. It could also be emotional or situational. So I guess, "in a jam" has more meanings than "in a bind" and can mean a physical situation too. Whereas "in a bind" is more about a dilemma. For the most part, they can be used interchangeably though. When you really stop and think about it, this is an interesting expression and I find it interesting to read about all the different explanations.

The only thing I can think of is how you have to use the right amount of pectin to make sure your jam gels. If you don't use enough, it will be too runny and not hold together properly.If I really make my imagination stretch, I can see some similarities there. Everything in the jar needs to be bound together, which would be similar to some definitions of this saying. But this is just for the word itself. The phrase "being in a jam" to me, means being in trouble, or a bad situation whatever that is. If I'm in a situation that I don't like or don't want to be in, I say "I'm in a jam." fify-- Yea, it's the same thing. The only difference might be that when we say "in a bind," it's not something that is physically bound. It's about a situation or a emotional state. If someone is complaining about not often enough room in their bag for something, I will just tell them to jam it in there and make it fit.