She had been in a tight corner before and had always managed to cope.

a 是不定冠词，表示"一个"或"某种"的意思。 tight 是形容词，本义是"紧的、绷紧的"，引申为"困难的、棘手的"。 corner 是名词，意思是"角落"，引申为"困境、窘境"。 a tight corner 是固定搭配，字面意思是"一个紧窄的角落"，比喻"困境、窘境"。