Place (one) in an awkward position phrase
To put someone in a state of affairs that is embarrassing and difficult to deal with.
They are both my good friends, so their argument is placing me in an awkward position.
John placing me in an awkward position in the test yesterday. He put his phone under my desk when the teacher approached.
The verb "place" must be conjugated according to its tense.
The origin of this phrase is not clear.