vor verschlossener Tür stehen
Translation
to stand before a locked door, to be locked out, to be denied access
Examples
Als ich ankam, stand ich vor verschlossener Tür.
When I arrived, I was faced with a locked door.
Mit seiner Idee stand er bei den Investoren vor verschlossener Tür.
His idea was met with a locked door from the investors.
Grammar Patterns
vor verschlossener Tür stehen to be faced with a locked door / to be denied access Wir standen vor verschlossener Tür.
Similar Words
Synonyms: keinen Zutritt haben (to have no access), abgewiesen werden (to be rejected)
Etymology
Literally combines 'vor verschlossener Tür' (before a locked door) with 'stehen' (to stand).
Memory Tips
Think of the literal image: you arrive somewhere, but the door is locked and you are left standing outside. This applies to both physical doors and figurative ones (like getting a proposal rejected).