Up a gum tree

To be 'up a gum tree' or to be 'stuck up a gum tree' means to be in trouble or in some sort of predicament and dates in this sense from the mid-19th century. There are various claims as to its origin, some American, some Australian; both countries, of course. possessing native gum trees in abundance. On balance, the American claim seems the more plausible because the earliest citation refers to a 'possum up a gum tree', which is cited in the lyrics of a song in 1824. A possum, whether chased up a gum tree by dogs and/or hunters, or some predator, would probably 'play possum' i.e. feign death in the hope of putting its pursuers off guard. Eric Partridge in his Dictionary of Historical Slang states that the origin of 'up a gum tree' is Australian from 1895, but adds that it derives from an earlier American meaning of being 'on one's last legs', which may be a reference to the poor 'possum up a gum tree'. The fact that 'up a tree', without any mention of what type of tree, means to be in trouble, and is American from the early 19th century, seems to point to an American origin for 'up a gum tree' despite Australian claims. See also Play possum