expression, noun
helpless situation; fish on a chopping board
Idiomatic expression describing a person or group that is completely at the mercy of others, with no way to resist or escape. The literal image is of a fish already placed on a cutting board, ready to be prepared.
彼は敵に囲まれて、まさに俎上の魚だった。
Surrounded by enemies, he was truly like a fish on a chopping board.
交渉の場で、我々は完全に俎上の魚の状態だった。
At the negotiation table, we were completely in a helpless situation.