"worst of both worlds" meaning in English

See worst of both worlds in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-worst of both worlds.ogg
Etymology: Antonym of best of both worlds. Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} worst of both worlds (uncountable)
  1. (idiomatic, singular only) A solution or scenario which combines the disadvantages of two opposed prior solutions, often having been intended to combine their benefits instead. Tags: idiomatic, singular, singular-only, uncountable Related terms: double-whammy, catch-22, no-win situation Translations (scenario which combines disadvantages): huonot puolet molemmista [plural] (Finnish)
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  "etymology_text": "Antonym of best of both worlds.",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
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          "word": "best of both worlds"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004: Paul H. Douglas Ethics in Government Program, The Challenge of Terrorism: Protecting Citizens, Preserving Values, essay 1: Nadine Strossen, “The Worst of Both Worlds: Violating Rights without Gaining Security” (Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois)",
          "text": "The Worst of Both Worlds: Violating Rights without Gaining Security"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A solution or scenario which combines the disadvantages of two opposed prior solutions, often having been intended to combine their benefits instead."
      ],
      "id": "en-worst_of_both_worlds-en-noun-h7foiFkQ",
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        [
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        ],
        [
          "benefit",
          "benefit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, singular only) A solution or scenario which combines the disadvantages of two opposed prior solutions, often having been intended to combine their benefits instead."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "double-whammy"
        },
        {
          "word": "catch-22"
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        {
          "word": "no-win situation"
        }
      ],
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        "uncountable"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "scenario which combines disadvantages",
          "tags": [
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "huonot puolet molemmista"
        }
      ]
    }
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{
  "etymology_text": "Antonym of best of both worlds.",
  "head_templates": [
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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    {
      "word": "catch-22"
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    {
      "word": "no-win situation"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004: Paul H. Douglas Ethics in Government Program, The Challenge of Terrorism: Protecting Citizens, Preserving Values, essay 1: Nadine Strossen, “The Worst of Both Worlds: Violating Rights without Gaining Security” (Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois)",
          "text": "The Worst of Both Worlds: Violating Rights without Gaining Security"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A solution or scenario which combines the disadvantages of two opposed prior solutions, often having been intended to combine their benefits instead."
      ],
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        [
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        ]
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        "(idiomatic, singular only) A solution or scenario which combines the disadvantages of two opposed prior solutions, often having been intended to combine their benefits instead."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "singular",
        "singular-only",
        "uncountable"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "scenario which combines disadvantages",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "huonot puolet molemmista"
    }
  ],
  "word": "worst of both worlds"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). 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.

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