Between the rock and the hard place meaning

There is really no downside in learning a new language, especially a useful one. But not all choices are as harmless. Some decisions have no good choice. Today we will talk about those. English has many words and expressions that describe those times when you must make a choice but all of your options are terrible! For starters, you can say you are between a rock and a hard place.

This is when you must decide between two things that are equally unpleasant. Greek origin Many cultures have their own version of this story. But one of the most famous is the Greek story of Scylla and Charybdis. They terrorized ships that tried to travel the Strait of Messina, a narrow waterway between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Scylla is the personification -- the human representation of a non-human thing -- of sharp rocks and other objects along the coast.

Scylla destroyed ships that came too close. Charybdis is the personification of a whirlpool, a dangerous water formation in seas and oceans. Charybdis also destroyed ships that came too close but in a very different way. But both could kill you! And they were located so close to each other that they gave sailors an almost impossible choice.

Avoiding Charybdis meant passing too close to Scylla and vice versa. You are in an impossibly difficult situation with no good choices. So really, you must choose between the lesser of two evils. A woman is planning a birthday party for her son.

And a friend who offers to help finds himself in a dilemma, a real pickle — you know a difficult situation! He has a hard decision to make. Can I help with the birthday party? Oh yes! Thank you so much! Of course! Well, I need to take my dog to the vet later today. But I also promised my son that I would take him and his friends out for ice cream after the party. Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. I couldn't make up my mind. I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

He had a dilemma on his hands. He was clearly between the devil and the deep blue sea. Between two equally difficult or unacceptable choices. For example, Trying to please both my boss and his supervisor puts me between a rock and a hard place.

The rock and hard place version is the newest of these synonymous phrases, dating from the early s, and alludes to being caught or crushed between two rocks. The oldest is Scylla and Charybdis, which in Homer's Odyssey signified a monster on a rock Scylla and a fatal whirlpool Charybdis , between which Odysseus had to sail through a narrow passage. It was used figuratively by the Roman writer Virgil and many writers since. The devil in devil and deep blue sea, according to lexicographer Charles Earle Funk, referred to a seam around a ship's hull near the waterline, which, if a sailor was trying to caulk it in heavy seas, would cause him to fall overboard.

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I couldn't make up my mind. I was caught between a rock and a hard place. He had a dilemma on his hands. He was clearly between the devil and the deep blue sea. Between two equally difficult or unacceptable choices. For example, Trying to please both my boss and his supervisor puts me between a rock and a hard place.

The rock and hard place version is the newest of these synonymous phrases, dating from the early s, and alludes to being caught or crushed between two rocks. The oldest is Scylla and Charybdis, which in Homer's Odyssey signified a monster on a rock Scylla and a fatal whirlpool Charybdis , between which Odysseus had to sail through a narrow passage.

It was used figuratively by the Roman writer Virgil and many writers since. The devil in devil and deep blue sea, according to lexicographer Charles Earle Funk, referred to a seam around a ship's hull near the waterline, which, if a sailor was trying to caulk it in heavy seas, would cause him to fall overboard. Others disagree, however, and believe the phrase simply alludes to a choice between hellfire with the devil and drowning in deep waters.

But what is the origin of this popular phrase and how has it come to be so often referred to by people all over the world in situations of distress or desperation? The older the origin of things is, the more difficult is its objective historical verification, and the scarcer are the tangible evidence that supports its exact creation, leaving as the only possible sources the word of mouth transmitted from generation to generation or other more speculative or subjective evidence.

Based on the above, one of the most widespread theories of the origin of the phrase goes back to Greek mythology. Between Italy and Greece lies the Strait of Messina, which was considered extremely dangerous in all matters relating to the navigation of ships because its depths were inhabited by two fearsome monsters: Scylla and Charybdis, each living at opposite ends of the strait.

Although the two monsters were different from each other, both were equally fearsome and dangerous due to their characteristics. Scylla was at first a kind of nymph but later transformed into a horrible seven-headed monster, while Charybdis had as a particular attribute the ability to swallow huge amounts of water that would later transform into giant whirlpools, causing the sinking of all ships passing through that area. Although all ships knew of the existence of these two monsters and did everything humanly possible to avoid them when navigating those waters, it was impossible to go unnoticed in the eyes of these monsters since the ends of the strait were awfully close to each other and any maneuver of the sailors was practically useless, being inevitably trapped between Scylla and Charybdis.

This caused the phrase "between Scylla and Charybdis" to be used more and more to refer to an extreme situation and impossible to escape, with time this phrase would evolve and change to the expression widely used today "to be caught between a rock and a hard place". Origin In American Culture A much more recent origin of this idiomatic expression can be found in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. There is not much more documented data to explain what happened at that time for this phrase to be adopted within the vocabulary of the time, it was simply that it began to be recognized that being between two situations of great difficulty and with no visible way out was the same as "being between a rock and a hard place".

Origin In Pop Culture An even more diffuse origin than the other two explained above is the one that some people assign to it but which has no basis or foundation, and that is the association of the idiomatic expression with the era of swordsmen, with sword fights to the death and even with the sport of fencing as the point of origin of the phrase to be caught between the sword and the wall.

Although it seems much more superficial and devoid of tangible evidence to prove its veracity , it cannot be categorically assured that this theory is false and that on the contrary the other two are completely true, simply all contribute and enrich the value and validity of the phrase in today's popular culture. How People Use This Phrase Below we will review some of the main situations in which people currently use the phrase "to be caught between a rock and a hard place".

This is the typical situation where someone especially important to the person will be disappointed in any of the decisions made. Situations Involving Desperation These are those situations where one is aware that any of the options chosen will imply a harmful or highly unpleasant situation for oneself, so the phrase is used as a deep relief to this overwhelming discomfort.

Situations Involving Frustration Although the person wants to act in the right way, he knows that he is forced and cornered by circumstances to decide between two negative scenarios that will prevent him from acting in accordance with his principles. In this case, the phrase is used as a heartfelt expression of frustration. Situations Involving Guilt Undoubtedly, choosing a situation that means harming or damaging a third party will generate in the conscious person a feeling of discomfort that is difficult to contain.

In this case, the phrase is used as a sincere manifestation of guilt. The meaning of the phrase, its different theories of origin, and some of its most common current use among people have been extensively reviewed, so it only remains to show some real examples of the use of this phrase in everyday life. My mother-in-law has invited me to dinner and my mother has invited me to dinner too, and both invitations are on the same day and at the same time, I am caught between a rock and a hard place!

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