be (or be caught) in a cleft stick be in a difficult situation, when any action you take will have adverse consequences. chiefly British
☞ Cleft is one of the forms of the past participle of cleave, in its basic meaning of 'divide with a cutting blow' or 'split'.
英语词组固定搭配大全包含15956条英汉双解词组,基本涵盖了全部常用英文词组、短语的翻译及用法,是英语学习的有利工具。