caught between the devil and the deep blue sea

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• between the devil and the deep sea

Adjective

caught between the devil and the deep blue sea

1. (idiomatic) Having a choice between two alternatives, both undesirable.

Translations

choice between two undesirable options

Chinese: Mandarin: 進退兩難 (zh), 进退两难 (zh) (jìntuìliǎngnán) Finnish: puun ja kuoren välissä (fi) Icelandic: á milli steins og sleggju (is), milli tveggja elda (is) Japanese: 前門の虎、後門の狼 (ja) (ぜんもんのとら、こうもんのおおかみ; zenmon no tora, kōmon no ōkami) (a tiger at the front gate, a wolf at the back gate)

Portuguese: entre a cruz e a espada (between the cross and the sword) Russian: между двух огней (ru) (méždu dvux ognéj) (between two fires), между молотом и наковальней (ru) (méždu mólotom i nakovál'nej) (between hammer and anvil) Spanish: entre la espada y la pared (between the sword and the wall)

See also

• lesser of two evils
• between a rock and a hard place
• between Scylla and Charybdis
• on the horns of a dilemma
• out of the frying pan and into the fire
• Hobson's choice

References

• "Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea" in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds, 2004.