feet jammed up against the bathtub (2025)

"Annie threw her back against the door, feet jammed up against the bathtub, clutching a knife she had grabbed from the kitchen. I joined her, shoulder to shoulder, and did the same. Slow footsteps started on the stairs, calculated and casual."

Normally, I would think of a situation in which there is some space on either side and a force is being applied to the object when something is pressed against (if jammed up against means to be pressed here) something. But the meaning of "to be jammed (up)" is usually to get stuck somewhere and in this case there is no space to for the object to move back.

This is where I'm stuck. How can something (feet here) be stuck and put against something at the same time? Or is there another meaning to "to be jammed"?

source: Don’t Let Them In - Creepypasta

tunaafi said:

Annie put her back against the door and her feet against the bathtub. She applied pressure so that she was (of her own choosing) jammed between the door and the bathtub. The presure she was applying jammed her back against the door and her feet against the bathtub.

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This one makes sense too me: 'her back is jammed up between her own pressure and the door', but not how 'to be jammed' (here, jammed up) is used with her "feet". Her feet is not wedged anywhere. Her feet can go free if she wants because she's the one who's using pressure.

kentix said:

She is trying to prevent someone (or maybe something, in this type of book) from coming into the bathroom where she is. It's easier for her to hold the bathroom door closed if she can press back with her feet and not just use her arms and back. So she jams her feet against the bathtub, which is solid and won't move, and her back against the door, trying to make it impossible for someone to push the door open. She is wedged been the door and the bathtub and has the strength of her legs to push back with.

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From the feedbacks including yours, I guess just "press" might have been a replacement of "jam". Does "jam" have any particular connotation in this sitaution?

Yes, "jam" has a very specific meaning.

Take a look at this chair.

People in movies frequently use chairs like this to prevent someone from getting into the room they are hiding in. (I don't know if it really works.) The chair is jammed in place. It's wedged between the doorknob and the floor so it can't move in either direction. The door can't open (theoretically) with the chair like that. She was using her body in the same way. It was jammed between the door and the bathtub, to prevent the door from opening. Her back and legs were acting just like the back and legs of the chair, preventing the door from moving.

kentix said:

Yes, "jam" has a very specific meaning.

Take a look at this chair.
View attachment 36101
People in movies frequently use chairs like this to prevent someone from getting into the room they are hiding in. (I don't know if it really works.) The chair is jammed in place. It's wedged between the doorknob and the floor so it can't move in either direction. The door can't open (theoretically) with the chair like that. She was using her body in the same way. It was jammed between the door and the bathtub, to prevent the door from opening. Her back and legs were acting just like the back and legs of the chair, preventing the door from moving.

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Thank you, that fits with feet too.