between a rock and a hard place

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Originated in the United States before 1918 in the Southwest, possibly in connection with mining. Related to the concept of the Ancient Greeks: between Scylla and Charybdis.

73 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: بَيْنَ المِطْرَقَة وَالسِّنْدَان (bayna l-mitraqa wa s-sindān) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Catalan: entre l'espasa i la paret — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Czech: dvěma mlýnskými kameny — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Finnish: puun ja kuoren välissä — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Finnish: valita ruton ja koleran väliltä — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Finnish: kiipelissä — in a difficult and inescapable position
• French: entre le marteau et l'enclume — in a difficult and inescapable position
• French: entre l'arbre et l'écorce — in a difficult and inescapable position
• French: pris entre deux feux — in a difficult and inescapable position
• German: in der Zwickmühle — in a difficult and inescapable position
• German: zwischen Hammer und Amboss — in a difficult and inescapable position
• German: zwischen den Stühlen — in a difficult and inescapable position
• German: zwischen Baum und Borke — in a difficult and inescapable position
• German: weder ein noch aus wissen — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Greek: μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα (bros gkremós kai píso réma) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Hebrew: בֵּין הַפַּטִּישׁ וְהַסַּדָּן (bein hapatísh vehasadán) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Hindi: आगे कुआँ पीछे खाई (āge kuā̃ pīche khāī) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Icelandic: á milli steins og sleggju — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Icelandic: milli tveggja elda — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Italian: tra l'incudine e il martello — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Korean: 진퇴양난 (jintoeyangnan) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Korean: 빼도 박도 못한다 (ppaedo bakdo mothanda) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Latin: inter sacrum saxumque — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Latin: a fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Malayalam: ചെകുത്താനും കടലിനുമിടയിൽ (cekuttānuṁ kaṭalinumiṭayil) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Norwegian Bokmål: mellom barken og veden — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Norwegian Nynorsk: mellom borken og veden — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Polish: między młotem a kowadłem — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Portuguese: entre a cruz e a espada — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Portuguese: entre a cruz e a caldeirinha — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Portuguese: entre a espada e a parede — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Romanian: între ciocan și nicovală — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Russian: ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней (méždu mólotom i nakoválʹnej) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Russian: ме́жду двух огне́й (méždu dvux ognéj) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar dà chloich — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar a' chlach is an sgrath — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Spanish: entre la espada y la pared — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Spanish: entre la cruz y el agua bendita — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Turkish: iki arada bir derede — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Vietnamese: tiến thoái lưỡng nan — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Yiddish: צווישן האַמער און קאָוואַדלע (tsvishn hamer un kovadle) — in a difficult and inescapable position
• Arabic: أَمامَ خِيارَيْنِ أَحْلاهُمَا مُرّ (ʔamāma ḵiyārayni ʔaḥlāhumā murr) — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Chinese Cantonese: 進退兩難 /进退两难 (zeon3 teoi3 loeng5 naan4) — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Hakka Chinese: 進退兩難 /进退两难 (chin-thui-lióng-nàn) — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Chinese: 進退兩難 /进退两难 (zh-min-nan) — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Chinese Mandarin: 進退兩難 /进退两难 (jìntuìliǎngnán) — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Danish: (valge) mellem pest og kolera — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Dutch: (kiezen) tussen pest en cholera — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Esperanto: esti inter martelo kaj amboso — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Finnish: puun ja kuoren välissä — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Finnish: kahden tulen välissä — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• French: entre la peste et le choléra — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• French: entre le marteau et l'enclume — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• German: zwischen Pest und Cholera — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Greek: μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω ρέμα (bros gkremós kai píso réma) — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Hungarian: kutyaszorító — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Hungarian: két tűz között — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Hungarian: két malomkő között — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Hungarian: nem tudja, melyik ujját harapja le — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Hungarian: nehéz helyzetben — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Icelandic: á milli steins og sleggju — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Icelandic: milli tveggja elda — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Italian: fra l'incudine ed il martello — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Polish: między młotem a kowadłem — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Portuguese: entre a cruz e a espada — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Portuguese: entre a espada e a parede — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Russian: ме́жду двух огне́й (méždu dvux ognéj) — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Russian: ме́жду мо́лотом и накова́льней (méždu mólotom i nakoválʹnej) — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Scottish Gaelic: eadar a' chlach is an sgrath — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Spanish: entre la espada y la pared — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Swedish: mellan pest och kolera — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Swedish: mellan två eldar — having the choice between two unpleasant options
• Swedish: i valet och kvalet — having the choice between two unpleasant options