Without being prepared in advance. For Example: “The President was asked to give a speech off the cuff, so he wasn’t at his best.”

One thing that is very different from another thing, usually inferior. For Example: “You can’t compare Cornell to Harvard. Cornell is a far cry from Harvard.”

When an important decision must be made. For Example: “When it comes to the crunch, you always want to go with your star player.”  

Pretending to be upset by something. For Example: “He acted really upset about not being invited on the trip, but I think he was just crying crocodile tears.”

In a difficult position with no easy way out. For Example: The full saying is “up the creek without a paddle” which means you’re in a bad situation and don’t really have anything that can help you.