between the devil and the deep blue sea
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit](This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Prepositional phrase
[edit]between the devil and the deep blue sea
- (idiomatic) Between undesirable alternatives.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:in a dilemma
Related terms
[edit]- devil seam (“the seam between garboard strake and the keel”) (a seam on wooden boats)
Translations
[edit]between undesirable alternatives — see between a rock and a hard place
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - “between the devil and the deep blue sea”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- Michael Quinion (2004) “Between the devil and the deep blue sea”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.
