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 (AU) (file)
Prepositional phrase
between the devil and the deep blue sea
- (idiomatic) Between undesirable alternatives.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dilemma
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
Translations
between undesirable alternatives — see between a rock and a hard place
References
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - between the devil and the deep blue sea at 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.
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