Phrase guide

have the wolf by the ear

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To be in a dangerous situation from which one cannot disengage, but in which one cannot safely remain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: on the horns of a dilemma, have a tiger by the tail

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Initially attributed to Roman Emperor Tiberius circa year 1 AD by biographer C. Suetonius Tranquillus. United States, 1820, Thomas Jefferson, writing about the institution of slavery and the Missouri Compromise: : "But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other." :: — Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes (discussing slavery and the Missouri question), Monticello, 22 April 1820

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: olla kahden tulen välissä — to be in a difficult situation
  • French: tenir le loup par les oreilles — to be in a difficult situation
  • Latin: auribus teneo lupum — to be in a difficult situation
  • Malay: ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapak — to be in a difficult situation
  • Polish: znajdować się w trudnej sytuacji — to be in a difficult situation
  • Polish: znaleźć się w trudnej sytuacji — to be in a difficult situation