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
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Prepositional phrase edit
between the devil and the deep blue sea
- (idiomatic) Between undesirable alternatives.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dilemma, Thesaurus:difficult situation
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.