Idiom
Between a rock and a hard place
If you are between a rock and a hard place, you have to choose between two options that are both bad.
How people use it
People use it when every choice has a serious downside: "I'm between a rock and a hard place: if I take the job, I have to move; if I don't, money gets tight." The usual verbs are be, find yourself and be caught. It suggests a real dilemma, not just an inconvenience. The tone is informal to neutral. Related ideas are a no-win situation and a catch-22, though a catch-22 involves rules that contradict each other.
Also said: caught between a rock and a hard place.
Examples
- With the car broken and the buses on strike, Maya was between a rock and a hard place for getting to work.
- The coach was between a rock and a hard place: bench his best player or ignore the team rules.
- Raising prices or cutting hours left the shop owner caught between a rock and a hard place.
Where it comes from
It is American. A collection of American dialect from the early 1920s recorded it as common in Arizona during recent money panics, where it meant being broke. The modern meaning of two bad choices followed later. It echoes a much older idea from Greek myth: sailing between Scylla, a monster on a cliff, and Charybdis, a dangerous whirlpool.
Check yourself
1. What does between a rock and a hard place mean?
Answer: Facing two bad choices. The idiom describes a dilemma where every option has a downside.
2. Which situation fits the idiom best?
Answer: Choosing between a long commute and a much smaller paycheck. Both options in the first case are bad, which is what the idiom describes.
Similar idioms
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