queer street

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

queer street noun

1. (sometimes capitals) a difficult situation, such as debt or bankruptcy (in the phrase in queer street)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

Queer′ Street′, 

1. a condition of financial instability or embarrassment:
   Such extravagance will surely put them in Queer Street.

• 1830–40