"between the hammer and the anvil" meaning in All languages combined

See between the hammer and the anvil on Wiktionary

Prepositional phrase [English]

Audio: en-au-between the hammer and the anvil.ogg
Etymology: Referring to the metal on a blacksmith's anvil, which is beaten with a hammer. Head templates: {{head|en|prepositional phrase|head=}} between the hammer and the anvil, {{en-prep phrase}} between the hammer and the anvil
  1. (chiefly UK, idiomatic) With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary. Tags: UK, idiomatic Synonyms: between a rock and a hard place, between Scylla and Charybdis, between the devil and the deep blue sea, in a dilemma Translations (with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options): بَيْنَ ٱلْمِطْرَقَةِ وَٱلسِّنْدَانِ (bayna l-miṭraqati was-sindāni) (Arabic), çəkiclə zindan arasında (Azerbaijani), yuxarı tüpürürsən bığ; aşağı tüpürürsən saqqal (Azerbaijani), между чука и наковалнята (meždu čuka i nakovalnjata) (Bulgarian), puun ja kuoren välissä (Finnish), entre le marteau et l’enclume (French), la peste ou le choléra (French), zwischen Hammer und Amboss (German), μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμονος (metaxý sfýras kai ákmonos) (Greek), בֵּין הַפַּטִּישׁ וְהַסַּדָּן (bein hapatísh vehasadán) (Hebrew), tra l'incudine e il martello (Italian), między młotem a kowadłem (Polish), prins între ciocan și nicovală (Romanian), между молотом и наковальней (meždu molotom i nakovalʹnej) (Russian), mellan hammaren och städet (Swedish), צווישן האַמער און קאָוואַדלע (tsvishn hamer un kovadle) (Yiddish)
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  "etymology_text": "Referring to the metal on a blacksmith's anvil, which is beaten with a hammer.",
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1848, Jean Henri Merle d'Aubigné, The Protector, a vindication, page 250:",
          "text": "Yet for a time the nation was again placed between the democracy of the levellers and the despotism of the Stuarts, — between the hammer and the anvil.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1990, Judas Priest, Between The Hammer and the Anvil:",
          "text": "The sinner / Will testify / They'll suffer / When sacrificed on high / The burning sermons purge their evil words / Between the hammer and the anvil",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "id": "en-between_the_hammer_and_the_anvil-en-prep_phrase-MiuImBMD",
      "links": [
        [
          "unpleasant",
          "unpleasant"
        ],
        [
          "distasteful",
          "distasteful"
        ],
        [
          "predicament",
          "predicament"
        ],
        [
          "quandary",
          "quandary"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly UK, idiomatic) With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "between a rock and a hard place"
        },
        {
          "word": "between Scylla and Charybdis"
        },
        {
          "word": "between the devil and the deep blue sea"
        },
        {
          "word": "in a dilemma"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "bayna l-miṭraqati was-sindāni",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "بَيْنَ ٱلْمِطْرَقَةِ وَٱلسِّنْدَانِ"
        },
        {
          "code": "az",
          "lang": "Azerbaijani",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "çəkiclə zindan arasında"
        },
        {
          "code": "az",
          "lang": "Azerbaijani",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "yuxarı tüpürürsən bığ; aşağı tüpürürsən saqqal"
        },
        {
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "meždu čuka i nakovalnjata",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "между чука и наковалнята"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "puun ja kuoren välissä"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "entre le marteau et l’enclume"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "la peste ou le choléra"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "zwischen Hammer und Amboss"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "metaxý sfýras kai ákmonos",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμονος"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "bein hapatísh vehasadán",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "בֵּין הַפַּטִּישׁ וְהַסַּדָּן"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "tra l'incudine e il martello"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "między młotem a kowadłem"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "prins între ciocan și nicovală"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "meždu molotom i nakovalʹnej",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "между молотом и наковальней"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "mellan hammaren och städet"
        },
        {
          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "roman": "tsvishn hamer un kovadle",
          "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
          "word": "צווישן האַמער און קאָוואַדלע"
        }
      ]
    }
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}
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  "etymology_text": "Referring to the metal on a blacksmith's anvil, which is beaten with a hammer.",
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {},
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          "ref": "1848, Jean Henri Merle d'Aubigné, The Protector, a vindication, page 250:",
          "text": "Yet for a time the nation was again placed between the democracy of the levellers and the despotism of the Stuarts, — between the hammer and the anvil.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1990, Judas Priest, Between The Hammer and the Anvil:",
          "text": "The sinner / Will testify / They'll suffer / When sacrificed on high / The burning sermons purge their evil words / Between the hammer and the anvil",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "unpleasant",
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          "distasteful",
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          "predicament",
          "predicament"
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          "quandary",
          "quandary"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly UK, idiomatic) With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "between a rock and a hard place"
        },
        {
          "word": "between Scylla and Charybdis"
        },
        {
          "word": "between the devil and the deep blue sea"
        },
        {
          "word": "in a dilemma"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "bayna l-miṭraqati was-sindāni",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "بَيْنَ ٱلْمِطْرَقَةِ وَٱلسِّنْدَانِ"
    },
    {
      "code": "az",
      "lang": "Azerbaijani",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "çəkiclə zindan arasında"
    },
    {
      "code": "az",
      "lang": "Azerbaijani",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "yuxarı tüpürürsən bığ; aşağı tüpürürsən saqqal"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "meždu čuka i nakovalnjata",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "между чука и наковалнята"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "puun ja kuoren välissä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "entre le marteau et l’enclume"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "la peste ou le choléra"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "zwischen Hammer und Amboss"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "metaxý sfýras kai ákmonos",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "μεταξύ σφύρας και άκμονος"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "bein hapatísh vehasadán",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "בֵּין הַפַּטִּישׁ וְהַסַּדָּן"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "tra l'incudine e il martello"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "między młotem a kowadłem"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "prins între ciocan și nicovală"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "meždu molotom i nakovalʹnej",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "между молотом и наковальней"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "mellan hammaren och städet"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "roman": "tsvishn hamer un kovadle",
      "sense": "with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options",
      "word": "צווישן האַמער און קאָוואַדלע"
    }
  ],
  "word": "between the hammer and the anvil"
}

Download raw JSONL data for between the hammer and the anvil meaning in All languages combined (5.5kB)

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  "msg": "suspicious translation with '; ': {'lang': 'Azerbaijani', 'code': 'az', 'sense': 'with the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options', 'word': 'yuxarı tüpürürsən bığ; aşağı tüpürürsən saqqal'}",
  "path": [
    "between the hammer and the anvil"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "prepositional phrase",
  "title": "between the hammer and the anvil",
  "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 2025-01-13 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (4ba5975 and 4ed51a5). 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.