"lesser of two evils" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "?"
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      "expansion": "lesser of two evils",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The more desirable of two bad alternatives."
      ],
      "id": "en-lesser_of_two_evils-en-noun-7hIErRcI",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) The more desirable of two bad alternatives."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "necessary evil"
        },
        {
          "word": "you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "ʔahwanu š-šarrayni",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "أَهْوَنُ الشَّرَّيْنِ"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "verb"
          ],
          "word": "\"to choose the lesser of two evils\""
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "兩害相權取其輕"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "liǎng hài xiāng quán qǔ qí qīng",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "两害相权取其轻"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "pienempi paha"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "moindre mal"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "geringeres Übel"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "kisebbik rossz"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "male minore"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "mniejsze zło"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "răul cel mai mic"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "ménʹšeje iz dvux zol",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "ме́ньшее из двух зол"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "mal menor"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "archaic"
          ],
          "word": "ehvenişer"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-lesser of two evils.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/En-au-lesser_of_two_evils.ogg/En-au-lesser_of_two_evils.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/En-au-lesser_of_two_evils.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lesser of two evils"
}

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  "head_templates": [
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      "expansion": "lesser of two evils",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "necessary evil"
    },
    {
      "word": "you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
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        "English terms with audio links",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Translation table header lacks gloss"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The more desirable of two bad alternatives."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) The more desirable of two bad alternatives."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-lesser of two evils.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/En-au-lesser_of_two_evils.ogg/En-au-lesser_of_two_evils.ogg.mp3",
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      "tags": [
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "ʔahwanu š-šarrayni",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "أَهْوَنُ الشَّرَّيْنِ"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "verb"
      ],
      "word": "\"to choose the lesser of two evils\""
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "兩害相權取其輕"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "liǎng hài xiāng quán qǔ qí qīng",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "两害相权取其轻"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "pienempi paha"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "moindre mal"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "geringeres Übel"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "kisebbik rossz"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "male minore"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "mniejsze zło"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "răul cel mai mic"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "ménʹšeje iz dvux zol",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "ме́ньшее из двух зол"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "mal menor"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "word": "ehvenişer"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lesser of two evils"
}