From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdamsel in distressdamsel in distress old useHELPa young woman who needs help or protection – used humorously → damsel
Examples from the Corpus
damsel in distress• Deep inside she seemed to have been waiting like some long-ago damsel in distress, waiting for her knight to rescue her.• You know the sort of thing: the damsel in distress chained to the railway line as the express thunders towards her.• The real Mario has no such problems with damsels in distress. 