He tried to escape his debts, only to fall into an investment scam—jumping from the frying-pan into the fire.

frying-pan 是由动词 fry（煎、炸）加上名词 pan（平底锅）组成的复合名词，字面意思是"煎锅"。 这个短语来自谚语"out of the frying pan into the fire"，字面意思是"从煎锅跳进火里"，比喻"刚摆脱一个困境又陷入更糟的境地"。