"between the hammer and the anvil" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Referring to the metal on a blacksmith's anvil, which is beaten with a hammer.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "between the hammer and the anvil",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "between the hammer and the anvil",
      "name": "en-prep phrase"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Bulgarian terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant script codes",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "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": "dilemma"
        },
        {
          "word": "difficult situation"
        }
      ],
      "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"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-between the hammer and the anvil.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7b/En-au-between_the_hammer_and_the_anvil.ogg/En-au-between_the_hammer_and_the_anvil.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/En-au-between_the_hammer_and_the_anvil.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "between the hammer and the anvil"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Referring to the metal on a blacksmith's anvil, which is beaten with a hammer.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "between the hammer and the anvil",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "between the hammer and the anvil",
      "name": "en-prep phrase"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "Bulgarian terms with redundant script codes",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English prepositional phrases",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "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": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "With the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary."
      ],
      "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": "dilemma"
        },
        {
          "word": "difficult situation"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-between the hammer and the anvil.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7b/En-au-between_the_hammer_and_the_anvil.ogg/En-au-between_the_hammer_and_the_anvil.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/En-au-between_the_hammer_and_the_anvil.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "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"
}