| 词组 | between the devil and the deep blue sea |
| 释义 | Idiom between a rock and a hard place and between the devil and the deep blue sea Theme: ALTERNATIVES in a very difficult position; facing a hard decision. (Informal.)I couldn't make up my mind. I was caught between a rock and a hard place.He had a dilemma on his hands. He was clearly between the devil and the deep blue sea. Idiom between the devil and the deep blue sea having only two very unpleasant choices.Our country is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea — our leaders cause great suffering, but an invasion aimed at overthrowing them would bring many other problems. Etymology: based on the idea of being trapped between a ship's devil (= a piece of wood or a joint on a wooden ship that is difficult to reach) and the water between the devil and the deep blue seaFacing two equally unpleasant, dangerous, or risky alternatives, when the avoidance of one ensures encountering the harm of the other. I was between the devil and the deep blue sea, for if I didn't take out another loan—and go deeper into debt—I could not pay off the debts I already owed. The police knew with certainty he had drugs in his car, so he became trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea: either lie to the police, or admit that the drugs belonged to him. devil and deep blue seasee under between a rock and a hard place. between the devil and the deep blue seamainly BRITISHIf you are between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a difficult situation where the two possible courses of action or choices that you can take are equally bad. I can see you're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea — if you support your daughter, your partner will be hurt. Note: The origin of this expression is in shipping, not religion. It is unclear exactly what the `devil' was, but it is thought to have been some kind of seam or plank that was awkward and dangerous to reach, so a sailor who had to make it waterproof was in a very unsafe position, and risked falling into the water. between the devil and the deep blue seacaught in a dilemma; trapped between two equally dangerous alternatives.between the ˌdevil and the deep blue ˈseain a situation where you have to choose between two things that are equally bad: In this situation, the government finds itself caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.between the devil and the deep blue sea Between two equally unacceptable choices. between the devil and the deep blue seaA choice between two evils. A term dating back to the early seventeenth century, it referred not to the devil of hellfire and brimstone but to a seam around a ship’s hull near the waterline. A sailor attempting to caulk this seam in heavy seas was in danger of falling overboard and drowning. The term was used figuratively—to mean any dilemma in which one faced danger—from that time on. It became a cliché about the middle of the eighteenth century. |
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