the horns of a dilemma

the horns of a dilemma

Two problematic or unappealing options that one must choose between. I'm really on the horns of a dilemma here—do I say no to this great job opportunity, or do I accept it and move away from my family?
See also: dilemma, horn, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the horns of a dilemma

If you are on the horns of a dilemma, you have to make a difficult choice between two alternatives. I find myself on the horns of a dilemma — whichever option I take, I'm going to disappoint someone. The police were on the horns of a dilemma. The girl appeared to be telling the truth, but it was her word against that of three officials. Note: In logic, a dilemma is a situation where an argument leads to two choices which are both undesirable. In the Middle Ages, a dilemma was traditionally represented as an animal with two horns such as a bull.
See also: dilemma, horn, of
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

(on) the horns of a diˈlemma

(in) a situation in which you must make a choice between things which are equally unpleasant: I’m really on the horns of a dilemma. I need the car but I can’t afford it.
See also: dilemma, horn, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • be on the horns of a dilemma
  • dilemma
  • horns of a dilemma, on the
  • on the horns of a dilemma
  • in a cleft stick
  • be neither one thing nor the other
  • any port in a storm
  • port
  • the armpit of (some place)
  • the armpit of somewhere
References in periodicals archive
The Fed could be caught on the horns of a dilemma however, if the tariffs boost prices such that policymakers have to weigh rising inflation with slowing growth.
Fed funds futures are modestly higher
It seems that you are, once again, on the horns of a dilemma -- this time over whether to send your colt Cracksman for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly a fortnight tomorrow.
You'd be Crackers not to go for Arc; STEAMING Our man David Yates gets it off his chest
AN auctioneer is on the horns of a dilemma - over the sale of a stuffed rhinoceros head worth at least pounds 30,000 to Chinese herbalists.
Auctioneer uses his head to avoid row; Government asked to resolve legal poser on sale of rhino relic
SPAIN'S matadors are in town and Scotland boss Craig Levein finds himself on the horns of a dilemma.
Slick Spain can gore Scots; JAMES MILTON'S VERDICT
The contradiction between Ahly's African fixture and Egypt's friendly game, which is not included in FIFA's international match calendar, left the EFA on the horns of a dilemma.
Egypt consider canceling Oman friendly
The Government was on the horns of a dilemma today over new rules for adoption agencies.
Church's word on adoption
However, he remains locked in the horns of a dilemma and could ask Murray for another 24 hours to think things over with wife Jill and his family.
FOOTBALL: ECK MAY WALK AWAY; Family fears could see McLeish go despite glory night
Employers are caught on the horns of a dilemma when it comes to background investigations.
Employee privacy versus employer rights: it's easy to invade employees' privacy, and suffer the legal consequences, if you're not careful. Here's how to be careful
The National Farmers' Union in Scotland admitted the plans have left members on "the horns of a dilemma".
Farmers in land sell-off
As the World Health Organization representative in Entebbe pointed out, many, many Ugandan wives are today caught on the horns of a dilemma. In suspecting their husbands have been, or are being, unfaithful, they know they should flee for their lives, but to whom can they turn, where can they go for refuge, on what will they live, and how will they care for their children?
Uganda: AIDS to self-destruction
ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA The famous Wall Street Bull statue remains patriotically defiant, as markets struggle to stabilise in the wake of last week's terrorist attack.
Second Welsh terror victim missing presumed dead
Caught on the horns of a dilemma, King wanted to address the weight of history (black people's anger over their degradation) without bringing down the wrath of the white city fathers in this rigidly segregated police state.
The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Vol. III: Birth of a New Age
In a sense, any researcher who seeks to investigate broader processes while only studying one or two communities is caught on the horns of a dilemma. To a certain extent, Sokoll has been fortunate that this problem was resolved for him when he chose to examine the richly-documented farming community of Ardleigh in which the majority of the population was engaged in wage labour on a handful of large farms.
Household and Family Among the Poor: The Case of Two Essex Communities in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries
Granger has been diagnosed as having cancer of the mouth and admits that he is "on the horns of a dilemma", as he wrestles with the decision about whether to go through with some "invasive surgery".
Behind The Scenes: Popular Granger absent from track
And Campbell Hume was on the horns of a dilemma over his round.
Stop bleating, it's your round; Sheep to be fleeced ...in a pub!