between the devil and the deep blue sea

English

Alternative forms

• betwixt the devil and the deep blue sea, the devil and the deep blue sea

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

between the devil and the deep blue sea

1. (idiomatic) Between undesirable alternatives.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dilemma, Thesaurus:difficult situation

Related terms

• devil seam (“the seam between garboard strake and the keel”) (a seam on wooden boats)
  • the devil to pay and no pitch hot or ready
    • devil to pay, and no pitch hot
    • devil to pay

Translations

between undesirable alternatives — see between a rock and a hard place

See also

• between a rock and a hard place
• Hobson's choice
• lesser of two evils

 

References

• 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.