no-win situation

no-win situation

A problem that has no ideal solution. In this day and age, most political candidates find themselves in a no-win situation when it comes to pleasing all of their constituents. If I leave for work now, I'm going to be stuck sitting in traffic, and if I wait until the traffic clears, I'm going to be late. It's a no-win situation.
See also: situation
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

no-win situation

a situation where there is no correct or satisfactory solution. The general was too weak to fight and too proud to surrender. It was a no-win situation. The huge dog my father gave us as a gift eats too much. If we get rid of the dog, my father will be insulted. If we keep it, we will go broke buying food for it. This is a classic no-win situation.
See also: situation
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

no-win situation

A situation certain to end in failure or disappointment, as in If the in-laws visit them or they visit the in-laws, either way they see it as a no-win situation . [c. 1960]
See also: situation
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

no-win situation

n. a situation in which there is no hope of success. I find myself in a no-win situation again.
See also: situation
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

no-win situation, a

A condition in which none can benefit or succeed; an impasse. Originating in America about 1960, presumably it originally referred to such a military situation and was soon extended to other kinds of hostile encounter. A 1962 article in The Economist stated, “He recommended an agreement . . . a ‘no-win’ approach, in fact, ‘an accommodation with tyranny.’”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • no-win situation, a
  • send (one) to (one's) death
  • send to death
  • in a double bind
  • a double bind
  • double bind
  • horse and rabbit stew
  • pleasing to the eye
  • if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is
  • if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is
References in periodicals archive
"This is a classic example of a no-win situation," Obama told hundreds of journalists gathered in Chicago for the UNITY convention for journalists of color.
Obama: Muslim label is no-win situation for him
It's a no-win situation. You can either have people go crazy and eventually get sued and lose your club or you keep everyone standing still and not moving--so you can keep your club but no one's happy.
Smut Peddlers
"THE ONE IS REMEMBERING HOW WE GOT STUCK IN A NO-WIN SITUATION IN VIETNAM."
Drawing on the news
This is a no-win situation. Keep your temper under control and deal with controversy by providing facts and statistics to support your statements.
Be prepared for the quality initiative: those CMS quality measures, and the newspaper publicity on how nursing homes rate, are going national this month. (Feature Article)
Themes of friendship, peer pressure, and family are woven throughout the main plot as Kelsey tries to find a graceful exit from a no-win situation. Michele Winship, Asst.
Cobb, Katie. Happenings
Unauthorized procedures caused a no-win situation during this sortie.
Tail-first touchdown. (Grampaw Pettibone)
This kind of no-win situation pits administration against teachers and students, and no one benefits.
Quantifying the arts: with many schools cutting out electives to concentrate more on the fundamentals, here's a look at an innovative school that treasures, and benefits from, its wide-ranging art program. (Arts Education)
It appears at first to be a no-win situation. The youth did not have a chance.
To have and have not
The CEO countered anyhow and walked right into a no-win situation. He flogged the COO regularly for the next six months, until the latter fled to a less desirable job.
When to counter and when not
The estate could then find itself in a no-win situation. Since presumably the buy-sell agreement would still be valid and enforceable, the estate would receive a certain amount for the deceased shareholder's stock.
Buy-sell agreements and estate planning
The shareholders remained true to Mavrodi no matter what he did to them, but for the government it was a no-win situation: If Mavrodi were to prevail, no entrepreneur would feel obliged to pay taxes, and the government would be compelled to compensate shareholders in any company for any fall in share prices.
Russian bear market; the bottom drops out
But, he figured, they would only face the same no-win situation. The base chief let it go.
The company they keep
The result is a no-win situation for the Government.
Assignment of income and divorce
"It's a no-win situation and the cost of doing business by these regulations has yet to be determined," he said.
Helping owners learn the rules
Programmers, on the other hand, complain that they're in a no-win situation. Software is continually modified as it evolves, often to meet demands for new features to make the product more competitive.
A digital matter of life and death: concerns about potentially life-threatening software errors bring government regulation of computer-controlled medical devices