"between a rock and a hard place" meaning in All languages combined

See between a rock and a hard place on Wiktionary

Prepositional phrase [English]

Audio: en-us-between a rock and a hard place.ogg , en-au-between a rock and a hard place.ogg
Etymology: Originated in the United States before 1918 in southwest, possibly in connection with mining. Related to the concept of the Ancient Greeks: between Scylla and Charybdis. Head templates: {{head|en|prepositional phrase|head=}} between a rock and a hard place, {{en-prep phrase}} between a rock and a hard place
  1. (idiomatic) In a difficult and inescapable position. Tags: idiomatic Translations (in a difficult and inescapable position): بَيْنَ المِطْرَقَة وَالسِّنْدَان (bayna l-mitraqa wa s-sindān) (Arabic), entre l'espasa i la paret (Catalan), dvěma mlýnskými kameny (Czech), puun ja kuoren välissä (Finnish), valita ruton ja koleran väliltä (Finnish), kiipelissä (Finnish), entre le marteau et l’enclume (French), entre l’arbre et l’écorce (French), pris entre deux feux (French), in der Zwickmühle (German), zwischen Hammer und Amboss (German), zwischen den Stühlen (German), zwischen Baum und Borke (German), weder ein noch aus wissen (German), μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα (bros gkremós kai píso réma) [colloquial] (Greek), בֵּין הַפַּטִּישׁ וְהַסַּדָּן (bein hapatísh vehasadán) (Hebrew), á milli steins og sleggju (Icelandic), milli tveggja elda (Icelandic), tra l'incudine e il martello (Italian), 진퇴양난 (jintoeyangnan) (alt: 進退兩難) (Korean), 빼도 박도 못한다 (ppaedo bakdo mothanda) (Korean), inter sacrum saxumque (Latin), a fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi (Latin), ചെകുത്താനും കടലിനുമിടയിൽ (cekuttānuṁ kaṭalinumiṭayil) (Malayalam), mellom barken og veden (Norwegian Bokmål), mellom borken og veden (Norwegian Nynorsk), między młotem a kowadłem (Polish), entre a cruz e a espada (Portuguese), entre a cruz e a caldeirinha (Portuguese), între ciocan și nicovală (Romanian), ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней (méždu mólotom i nakoválʹnej) (Russian), ме́жду двух огне́й (méždu dvux ognéj) (Russian), eadar dà chloich (Scottish Gaelic), eadar a' chlach is an sgrath (Scottish Gaelic), entre la espada y la pared (Spanish), tiến thoái lưỡng nan (Vietnamese), צווישן האַמער און קאָוואַדלע (tsvishn hamer un kovadle) (Yiddish)
    Sense id: en-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place-en-prep_phrase-3QpubDre Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Terms with Arabic translations, Terms with Armenian translations, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Cantonese translations, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Esperanto translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Greek translations, Terms with Hakka translations, Terms with Hebrew translations, Terms with Hindi translations, Terms with Hokkien translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Icelandic translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Khmer translations, Terms with Korean translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Macedonian translations, Terms with Malayalam translations, Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Telugu translations, Terms with Vietnamese translations, Terms with Yiddish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 46 54 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 60 40 Disambiguation of Terms with Arabic translations: 46 54 Disambiguation of Terms with Armenian translations: 46 54 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Cantonese translations: 49 51 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 46 54 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 56 44 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 53 47 Disambiguation of Terms with Esperanto translations: 49 51 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 51 49 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 53 47 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 53 47 Disambiguation of Terms with Greek translations: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Hakka translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Hebrew translations: 46 54 Disambiguation of Terms with Hindi translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Hokkien translations: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 45 55 Disambiguation of Terms with Icelandic translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 53 47 Disambiguation of Terms with Khmer translations: 46 54 Disambiguation of Terms with Korean translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 53 47 Disambiguation of Terms with Macedonian translations: 48 52 Disambiguation of Terms with Malayalam translations: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 46 54 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 53 47 Disambiguation of Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 46 54 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 48 52 Disambiguation of Terms with Telugu translations: 45 55 Disambiguation of Terms with Vietnamese translations: 47 53 Disambiguation of Terms with Yiddish translations: 50 50 Disambiguation of 'in a difficult and inescapable position': 96 4
  2. (idiomatic) Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary. Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: between Scylla and Charybdis, between the devil and the deep blue sea, in a dilemma Translations (having the choice between two unpleasant options): أَمامَ خِيارَيْنِ أَحْلاهُمَا مُرّ (ʔamāma ḵiyārayni ʔaḥlāhumā murr) (Arabic), 進退兩難 [Hokkien] (Chinese), 进退两难 (zh-min-nan) [Hokkien] (Chinese), 進退兩難 (Chinese Cantonese), 进退两难 (zeon³ teoi³ loeng⁵ naan⁴) (Chinese Cantonese), 進退兩難 (Chinese Mandarin), 进退两难 (jìntuìliǎngnán) (Chinese Mandarin), (valge) mellem pest og kolera (Danish), (kiezen) tussen pest en cholera (Dutch), esti inter martelo kaj amboso (Esperanto), puun ja kuoren välissä (Finnish), kahden tulen välissä (Finnish), entre la peste et le choléra (French), entre le marteau et l’enclume (French), zwischen Pest und Cholera (German), μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα (bros gkremós kai píso réma) [colloquial] (Greek), 進退兩難 (Hakka Chinese), 进退两难 (chin-thui-lióng-nàn) (Hakka Chinese), kutyaszorító (Hungarian), két tűz között (Hungarian), két malomkő között (Hungarian), nem tudja, melyik ujját harapja le (Hungarian), nehéz helyzetben (Hungarian), á milli steins og sleggju (Icelandic), milli tveggja elda (Icelandic), fra l'incudine ed il martello (Italian), między młotem a kowadłem (Polish), entre a cruz e a espada (Portuguese), entre a espada e a parede (Portuguese), ме́жду двух огне́й (méždu dvux ognéj) (Russian), ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней (méždu mólotom i nakoválʹnej) (Russian), eadar a' chlach is an sgrath (Scottish Gaelic), entre la espada y la pared (Spanish), mellan pest och kolera (Swedish), mellan två eldar (Swedish), i valet och kvalet (Swedish)
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        {
          "ref": "2008, David Merde, Beyond Final Arrangements, page 511:",
          "text": "After meeting again that afternoon with Donna, Wilbur had advised her that she was indeed between a rock and a hard place. She could not hope to recover and build back the lost business until the suits were settled, and it appeared that the only way to settle the suits without going to court was to liquidate the mortuary assets or tap into the Clifton's personal funds.",
          "type": "quote"
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        {
          "ref": "2017 March 3, Nintendo EPD, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo, description for Rock-Hard Food",
          "text": "A dish gone awry after adding the wrong ingredient. Chewing your way through this won't be fun, but it will fill you up when you're between a rock and a hard place."
        }
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      "glosses": [
        "In a difficult and inescapable position."
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      "id": "en-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place-en-prep_phrase-3QpubDre",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) In a difficult and inescapable position."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "bayna l-mitraqa wa s-sindān",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "بَيْنَ المِطْرَقَة وَالسِّنْدَان"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "note": "երկու քարի արանքում (erku kʻari arankʻum, literally “between two stones”)",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "note": "между чука́ и накова́лнята (meždu čuká i nakoválnjata, literally “between the hammer and the anvil”)",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "entre l'espasa i la paret"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "dvěma mlýnskými kameny"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "puun ja kuoren välissä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "valita ruton ja koleran väliltä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "kiipelissä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "entre le marteau et l’enclume"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "entre l’arbre et l’écorce"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "pris entre deux feux"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "in der Zwickmühle"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "zwischen Hammer und Amboss"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "zwischen den Stühlen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "zwischen Baum und Borke"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "weder ein noch aus wissen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "bros gkremós kai píso réma",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "tags": [
            "colloquial"
          ],
          "word": "μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμωνος (metaxý sfýras kai ákmonos, literally “between the hammer and the anvil”)",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "μεταξύ Σκύλλας και Χάρυβδης (metaxý Skýllas kai Cháryvdis, literally “between Scylla and Charybdis”)",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "bein hapatísh vehasadán",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "בֵּין הַפַּטִּישׁ וְהַסַּדָּן"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "á milli steins og sleggju"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "milli tveggja elda"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "tra l'incudine e il martello"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "note": "板ばさみ (ita-basami, literally “between two boards”)",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "alt": "進退兩難",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "jintoeyangnan",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "진퇴양난"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "ppaedo bakdo mothanda",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "빼도 박도 못한다"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "inter sacrum saxumque"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "a fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "note": "горе високо, долу длабоко (gore visoko, dolu dlaboko, literally “high above and deep below”)",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ml",
          "lang": "Malayalam",
          "roman": "cekuttānuṁ kaṭalinumiṭayil",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "ചെകുത്താനും കടലിനുമിടയിൽ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "mellom barken og veden"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "mellom borken og veden"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "między młotem a kowadłem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "entre a cruz e a espada"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "entre a cruz e a caldeirinha"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "între ciocan și nicovală"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "méždu mólotom i nakoválʹnej",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "méždu dvux ognéj",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "ме́жду двух огне́й"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "eadar dà chloich"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "eadar a' chlach is an sgrath"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "entre la espada y la pared"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "tiến thoái lưỡng nan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "roman": "tsvishn hamer un kovadle",
          "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
          "word": "צווישן האַמער און קאָוואַדלע"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
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          "_dis": "46 54",
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          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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          "_dis": "32 68",
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
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        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
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          "name": "Terms with Czech translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
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          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
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        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
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          "name": "Terms with Esperanto translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
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          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
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        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Greek translations",
          "parents": [],
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
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          "name": "Terms with Hakka translations",
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        {
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hindi translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
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          "name": "Terms with Hokkien translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
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          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
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          "parents": [],
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        {
          "_dis": "46 54",
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          "name": "Terms with Khmer translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
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        {
          "_dis": "48 52",
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        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
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          "name": "Terms with Malayalam translations",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "44 56",
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "40 60",
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          "name": "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "46 54",
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
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          "name": "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "46 54",
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          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "48 52",
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          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
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        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
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          "name": "Terms with Telugu translations",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Vietnamese translations",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Yiddish translations",
          "parents": [],
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1970, David Sim, Tangent:",
          "text": "Husbands, it seems to me, are caught between the Rock of Feminism and the Hard Place of their own marriages […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008 September 11, Eric Dash, Geraldine Fabrikant, “Washington Mutual stock falls on investor fears”, in New York Times, retrieved 2012-08-24:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "id": "en-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place-en-prep_phrase-wYFdTJkF",
      "links": [
        [
          "unpleasant",
          "unpleasant"
        ],
        [
          "distasteful",
          "distasteful"
        ],
        [
          "predicament",
          "predicament"
        ],
        [
          "quandary",
          "quandary"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "between Scylla and Charybdis"
        },
        {
          "word": "between the devil and the deep blue sea"
        },
        {
          "word": "in a dilemma"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "ʔamāma ḵiyārayni ʔaḥlāhumā murr",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "أَمامَ خِيارَيْنِ أَحْلاهُمَا مُرّ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "note": "между чука́ и накова́лнята (meždu čuká i nakoválnjata, literally “between the hammer and the anvil”)",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "進退兩難"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "zeon³ teoi³ loeng⁵ naan⁴",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "进退两难"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "hak",
          "lang": "Hakka Chinese",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "進退兩難"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "hak",
          "lang": "Hakka Chinese",
          "roman": "chin-thui-lióng-nàn",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "进退两难"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "nan-hbl",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "tags": [
            "Hokkien"
          ],
          "word": "進退兩難"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "nan-hbl",
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "roman": "zh-min-nan",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "tags": [
            "Hokkien"
          ],
          "word": "进退两难"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "進退兩難"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jìntuìliǎngnán",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "进退两难"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "(valge) mellem pest og kolera"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "(kiezen) tussen pest en cholera"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "esti inter martelo kaj amboso"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "puun ja kuoren välissä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "kahden tulen välissä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "entre la peste et le choléra"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "entre le marteau et l’enclume"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "zwischen Pest und Cholera"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "bros gkremós kai píso réma",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "tags": [
            "colloquial"
          ],
          "word": "μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμωνος (metaxý sfýras kai ákmonos, literally “between the hammer and the anvil”)",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "μεταξύ Σκύλλας και Χάρυβδης (metaxý Skýllas kai Cháryvdis, literally “between Scylla and Charybdis”)",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "kutyaszorító"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "két tűz között"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "két malomkő között"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "nem tudja, melyik ujját harapja le"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "nehéz helyzetben"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "á milli steins og sleggju"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "milli tveggja elda"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "fra l'incudine ed il martello"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "note": "前門の虎、後門の狼 (ぜんもんのとら、こうもんのおおかみ; zenmon no tora, kōmon no ōkami, literally “a tiger at the front gate, a wolf at the back gate”)",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "między młotem a kowadłem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "entre a cruz e a espada"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "entre a espada e a parede"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "méždu dvux ognéj",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "ме́жду двух огне́й"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "méždu mólotom i nakoválʹnej",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "ме́жду Сци́ллой и Хари́бдой (méždu Scílloj i Xaríbdoj, literally “between Scylla and Charybdis”)",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "eadar a' chlach is an sgrath"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "entre la espada y la pared"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "mellan pest och kolera"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "mellan två eldar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 98",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
          "word": "i valet och kvalet"
        }
      ]
    }
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    }
  ],
  "word": "between a rock and a hard place"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Requests for review of Czech translations",
    "Requests for review of Hindi translations",
    "Requests for review of Khmer translations",
    "Requests for review of Mandarin translations",
    "Requests for review of Telugu translations",
    "Terms with Arabic translations",
    "Terms with Armenian translations",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Cantonese translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with Danish translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Esperanto translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Greek translations",
    "Terms with Hakka translations",
    "Terms with Hebrew translations",
    "Terms with Hindi translations",
    "Terms with Hokkien translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Icelandic translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Khmer translations",
    "Terms with Korean translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Macedonian translations",
    "Terms with Malayalam translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Telugu translations",
    "Terms with Vietnamese translations",
    "Terms with Yiddish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Originated in the United States before 1918 in southwest, possibly in connection with mining. Related to the concept of the Ancient Greeks: between Scylla and Charybdis.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "between a rock and a hard place",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "between a rock and a hard place",
      "name": "en-prep phrase"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2008, David Merde, Beyond Final Arrangements, page 511:",
          "text": "After meeting again that afternoon with Donna, Wilbur had advised her that she was indeed between a rock and a hard place. She could not hope to recover and build back the lost business until the suits were settled, and it appeared that the only way to settle the suits without going to court was to liquidate the mortuary assets or tap into the Clifton's personal funds.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 March 3, Nintendo EPD, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo, description for Rock-Hard Food",
          "text": "A dish gone awry after adding the wrong ingredient. Chewing your way through this won't be fun, but it will fill you up when you're between a rock and a hard place."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In a difficult and inescapable position."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) In a difficult and inescapable position."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1970, David Sim, Tangent:",
          "text": "Husbands, it seems to me, are caught between the Rock of Feminism and the Hard Place of their own marriages […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008 September 11, Eric Dash, Geraldine Fabrikant, “Washington Mutual stock falls on investor fears”, in New York Times, retrieved 2012-08-24:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "unpleasant",
          "unpleasant"
        ],
        [
          "distasteful",
          "distasteful"
        ],
        [
          "predicament",
          "predicament"
        ],
        [
          "quandary",
          "quandary"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "between Scylla and Charybdis"
        },
        {
          "word": "between the devil and the deep blue sea"
        },
        {
          "word": "in a dilemma"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-us-between a rock and a hard place.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/24/En-us-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place.ogg/En-us-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/En-us-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place.ogg"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-between a rock and a hard place.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/En-au-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place.ogg/En-au-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/En-au-between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "bayna l-mitraqa wa s-sindān",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "بَيْنَ المِطْرَقَة وَالسِّنْدَان"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "note": "երկու քարի արանքում (erku kʻari arankʻum, literally “between two stones”)",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "note": "между чука́ и накова́лнята (meždu čuká i nakoválnjata, literally “between the hammer and the anvil”)",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "entre l'espasa i la paret"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "dvěma mlýnskými kameny"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "puun ja kuoren välissä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "valita ruton ja koleran väliltä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "kiipelissä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "entre le marteau et l’enclume"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "entre l’arbre et l’écorce"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "pris entre deux feux"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "in der Zwickmühle"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "zwischen Hammer und Amboss"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "zwischen den Stühlen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "zwischen Baum und Borke"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "weder ein noch aus wissen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "bros gkremós kai píso réma",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "word": "μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμωνος (metaxý sfýras kai ákmonos, literally “between the hammer and the anvil”)",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "μεταξύ Σκύλλας και Χάρυβδης (metaxý Skýllas kai Cháryvdis, literally “between Scylla and Charybdis”)",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "bein hapatísh vehasadán",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "בֵּין הַפַּטִּישׁ וְהַסַּדָּן"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "á milli steins og sleggju"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "milli tveggja elda"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "tra l'incudine e il martello"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "note": "板ばさみ (ita-basami, literally “between two boards”)",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
    },
    {
      "alt": "進退兩難",
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "jintoeyangnan",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "진퇴양난"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "ppaedo bakdo mothanda",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "빼도 박도 못한다"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "inter sacrum saxumque"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "a fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "note": "горе високо, долу длабоко (gore visoko, dolu dlaboko, literally “high above and deep below”)",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position"
    },
    {
      "code": "ml",
      "lang": "Malayalam",
      "roman": "cekuttānuṁ kaṭalinumiṭayil",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "ചെകുത്താനും കടലിനുമിടയിൽ"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "mellom barken og veden"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "mellom borken og veden"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "między młotem a kowadłem"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "entre a cruz e a espada"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "entre a cruz e a caldeirinha"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "între ciocan și nicovală"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "méždu mólotom i nakoválʹnej",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "méždu dvux ognéj",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "ме́жду двух огне́й"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "eadar dà chloich"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "eadar a' chlach is an sgrath"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "entre la espada y la pared"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "tiến thoái lưỡng nan"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "roman": "tsvishn hamer un kovadle",
      "sense": "in a difficult and inescapable position",
      "word": "צווישן האַמער און קאָוואַדלע"
    },
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "ʔamāma ḵiyārayni ʔaḥlāhumā murr",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "أَمامَ خِيارَيْنِ أَحْلاهُمَا مُرّ"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "note": "между чука́ и накова́лнята (meždu čuká i nakoválnjata, literally “between the hammer and the anvil”)",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "進退兩難"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "zeon³ teoi³ loeng⁵ naan⁴",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "进退两难"
    },
    {
      "code": "hak",
      "lang": "Hakka Chinese",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "進退兩難"
    },
    {
      "code": "hak",
      "lang": "Hakka Chinese",
      "roman": "chin-thui-lióng-nàn",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "进退两难"
    },
    {
      "code": "nan-hbl",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien"
      ],
      "word": "進退兩難"
    },
    {
      "code": "nan-hbl",
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "roman": "zh-min-nan",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien"
      ],
      "word": "进退两难"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "進退兩難"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jìntuìliǎngnán",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "进退两难"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "(valge) mellem pest og kolera"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "(kiezen) tussen pest en cholera"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "esti inter martelo kaj amboso"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "puun ja kuoren välissä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "kahden tulen välissä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "entre la peste et le choléra"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "entre le marteau et l’enclume"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "zwischen Pest und Cholera"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "bros gkremós kai píso réma",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "word": "μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμωνος (metaxý sfýras kai ákmonos, literally “between the hammer and the anvil”)",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "μεταξύ Σκύλλας και Χάρυβδης (metaxý Skýllas kai Cháryvdis, literally “between Scylla and Charybdis”)",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "kutyaszorító"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "két tűz között"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "két malomkő között"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "nem tudja, melyik ujját harapja le"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "nehéz helyzetben"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "á milli steins og sleggju"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "milli tveggja elda"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "fra l'incudine ed il martello"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "note": "前門の虎、後門の狼 (ぜんもんのとら、こうもんのおおかみ; zenmon no tora, kōmon no ōkami, literally “a tiger at the front gate, a wolf at the back gate”)",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "między młotem a kowadłem"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "entre a cruz e a espada"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "entre a espada e a parede"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "méždu dvux ognéj",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "ме́жду двух огне́й"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "méždu mólotom i nakoválʹnej",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "ме́жду Сци́ллой и Хари́бдой (méždu Scílloj i Xaríbdoj, literally “between Scylla and Charybdis”)",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "eadar a' chlach is an sgrath"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "entre la espada y la pared"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "mellan pest och kolera"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "mellan två eldar"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "having the choice between two unpleasant options",
      "word": "i valet och kvalet"
    }
  ],
  "word": "between a rock and a hard place"
}

Download raw JSONL data for between a rock and a hard place meaning in All languages combined (17.8kB)

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/2013",
  "msg": "more than one value in \"roman\": chìn-thè-lióng-lân / chìn-thòe-lióng-lân vs. zh-min-nan",
  "path": [
    "between a rock and a hard place"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "prepositional phrase",
  "title": "between a rock and a hard place",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.