"Sophie's choice" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From the title of the book Sophie's Choice (1979), by William Styron, in which a mother is forced to decide which of her children will die.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Sophie's choices",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "Sophie's choice"
      },
      "expansion": "Sophie's choice (plural Sophie's choices)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Death",
          "orig": "en:Death",
          "parents": [
            "Body",
            "Life",
            "Human",
            "Nature",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004 March 17, Bradley Graham, “Simulated Attacks Repelled In Antimissile War Game; U.S. Almost Exhausted Arsenal of Interceptors”, in Washington Post, page A03",
          "text": "As things turned out, all the enemy missiles were destroyed in flight -- two were hit very early after launch by an airborne laser system -- and a Sophie's choice was averted.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2004 March 2, “Committees OK boost for KidCare; Panels vote for additional $25M”, in Tallahassee Democrat",
          "text": "We've been given a Sophie's Choice,' said Senate Minority Leader Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton. 'We can improperly care for some children vs. improperly care for other children.'",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A choice where every alternative has significant negative consequences."
      ],
      "id": "en-Sophie's_choice-en-noun-RsoTTg0p",
      "links": [
        [
          "choice",
          "choice"
        ],
        [
          "alternative",
          "alternative"
        ],
        [
          "negative",
          "negative"
        ],
        [
          "consequence",
          "consequence"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "Hobson's choice"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "dilemma"
        },
        {
          "word": "difficult situation"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "choice where every alternative has significant negative consequences",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Sofiina volba"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "William Styron"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "Sophie's choice"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From the title of the book Sophie's Choice (1979), by William Styron, in which a mother is forced to decide which of her children will die.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Sophie's choices",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "head": "Sophie's choice"
      },
      "expansion": "Sophie's choice (plural Sophie's choices)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "Hobson's choice"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English eponyms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms derived from fiction",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Death"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004 March 17, Bradley Graham, “Simulated Attacks Repelled In Antimissile War Game; U.S. Almost Exhausted Arsenal of Interceptors”, in Washington Post, page A03",
          "text": "As things turned out, all the enemy missiles were destroyed in flight -- two were hit very early after launch by an airborne laser system -- and a Sophie's choice was averted.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2004 March 2, “Committees OK boost for KidCare; Panels vote for additional $25M”, in Tallahassee Democrat",
          "text": "We've been given a Sophie's Choice,' said Senate Minority Leader Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton. 'We can improperly care for some children vs. improperly care for other children.'",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A choice where every alternative has significant negative consequences."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "choice",
          "choice"
        ],
        [
          "alternative",
          "alternative"
        ],
        [
          "negative",
          "negative"
        ],
        [
          "consequence",
          "consequence"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "dilemma"
        },
        {
          "word": "difficult situation"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "William Styron"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "choice where every alternative has significant negative consequences",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Sofiina volba"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Sophie's choice"
}