under the pump

under the pump

This is an idiom (slang) that is sometimes used in colloquial Australian English.

It means, ‘stressed’ or ‘under pressure’.

“Trent is under the pump to come up with a word for today”

for wikitonary:

“Workers can be quite literally under the pump if a concrete pour is occurring and the steel reinforcing and form-work is still being finished. The concrete pump would be reaching out above the workers, who would be completing their duties at a frantic pace. Once the concrete has been delivered, the ‘pour′ must occur ASAP or it may begin to set. Hence being under the pump describes the situation of working at feverish pace to meet a specific deadline.”