between a rock and a hard place

WOTD - 21 September 2008    

English

Etymology

Related to the concept of the Ancient Greeks: "between Scylla and Charybdis." Originated in the United States, possibly in the wake of the Bisbee Deportation.

Pronunciation

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Adverb

between a rock and a hard place (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.
   • 1970, David Sim, "Tangent",

     Husbands, it seems to me, are caught between the Rock of Feminism and the Hard Place of their own marriages […]

   • 2008, Eric Dash and Geraldine Fabrikant, "Washington Mutual stock falls on investor fears", Washington Post, September 11,

     If Washington Mutual needs to raise capital quickly, it will very likely find itself between a rock and a hard place, because credit markets have all but closed their doors to troubled banks.

Synonyms

• between the devil and the deep blue sea
• between Scylla and Charybdis
• on the horns of a dilemma

Translations

between a rock and a hard place

Armenian: երկու քարի արանքում (hy) (erku qari aranqum) (between two stones) Chinese: Mandarin: 進退兩難 (zh), 进退两难 (zh) (jìntuìliǎngnán) Czech: z bláta do louže (cs) Danish: (vælge mellem) pest og kolera ((choose between) plague and cholera) Finnish: puun ja kuoren välissä (between wood and bark) French: entre le marteau et l'enclume (fr) (between the hammer and the anvil), entre l'arbre et l'écorce (fr) (between the tree and the bark) German: in der Zwickmühle stecken (de) Greek: μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμωνος (el)

Icelandic: á milli steins og sleggju(between a stone and a hammer), milli tveggja elda (between two fires) Italian: tra l'incudine e il martello (it) Japanese: 板ばさみ (ja) (ita-basami) (between two boards) Khmer: ចុះ​ទឹក​ក្រពើរ ឡើង​លើ​ខ្លា (km) Polish: między młotem a kowadłem (pl) Portuguese: entre a cruz e a espada (between the cross and the sword) Russian: между молотом и наковальней (ru) (méždu mólotom i nakovál’nej) (between a hammer and an anvil), между двух огней (ru) (méždu dvux ognéj) (between two fires) Spanish: entre la espada y la pared (between the sword and the wall) Swedish: (välja) mellan pest och kolera ((choose) between plague and cholera) Telugu: ముందు నుయ్యి వెనుక గొయ్యి (muMdu nuyyi venuka goyyi)