between a rock and a hard place
9
6.7
- idiom
- Informal
:
entre la espada y la pared
- With both job offers having their pros and cons, I found myself between a rock and a hard place.
- caught between a rock and a hard place
I'll pin you between a rock and a hard place.
- I'll pin you between a rock and a hard place.
- God, I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place with so much right now.
- Who knows, But at this point, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
- Your protagonist should be at the crisis, their lowest moment, and they should be between a rock and a hard place.
Examples
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My client seems to have put you between a rock and a hard place.
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The Syrian uprising placed Hamas in between a rock and a hard place.
Blog text (28) -
But the government is stuck between a rock and a hard place in China.
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Well, my wife has me between a rock and a hard place.
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We're between a rock and a hard place.
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I feel the same thing, but we're stuck between a rock and a hard place.
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Women are, however, often caught between a rock and a hard place.
Blog text (8) -
Sergeant, tonight we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place.
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Must we constantly live between a rock and a hard place?
Blog text (32) -
Indian policymakers are, nonetheless, between a rock and a hard place.
Academic text (2008)
Synonyms
258
4.2
A situation where you must choose between two or more bad options
18
9.6
A situation where you cannot win because rules block every choice
1
9.0
You must choose between two options that are both bad
1
8.2
Facing a choice between two equally bad options
1
7.5
In a difficult situation with no clear way out
1
5.6
No other choices remain
To have to choose between two equally bad options while people on both sides pressure you
A hard situation where no choice seems good
Antonyms
How Desperate
- Informal
11
7.5
- Informal
9
6.7
- Informal
2
7.6
- Informal
8
4.2
∞
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
between + a + rock + and + a + hard + place
The phrase evokes a clear physical image of being stuck between two hard obstacles, so learners who know 'between', 'rock', 'hard' and 'place' can plausibly infer a sense of being trapped or in difficulty. However, the specific idiomatic meaning 'no good options' is a metaphorical extension rather than a literal compositional meaning, so it is not fully predictable from the parts. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish 'entre la espada y la pared') make the metaphor more accessible but still not entirely transparent.
Etymology
The idiom between a rock and a hard place paints a picture of someone trapped with a heavy rock on one side and a hard place on the other, so they cannot move without pain. That's why it means 'in a difficult situation' with 'no good options'.